the Israeli ambassador to France speaks of “an unprecedented situation” and “the duty to defend ourselves”

Several hundred drones and missiles were fired overnight from Saturday to Sunday by Iran at Israel. An unprecedented escalation of tensions between the two countries.

“This is an unprecedented situation”, reacts Sunday April 14 on franceinfo Alona Fisher-Kamm, ambassador and charge d’affaires of Israel in France, after the attack launched by Iran against Israel last night. While Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, its allies, also carried out attacks. Alona Fisher-Kamm points out that “This is the first time that Israel has been attacked directly by Iran and its allies.”

Alona Fisher-Kamm assures that there was no “withholding nor measured attack” from Iran. She states that if the damage is limited after this attack it is mainly due to the “air defense system” of the Hebrew State and “support of [ses] allies”. The Israeli army ensures that Israel and its allied countries intercepted almost all of the Iranian shots.

“No country would remain without reacting in such a case”

Asked about the form that a possible response from the Jewish State will take, she specifies that we “cannot exclude anything”. “It is the duty of our country to defend ourselves”she said, believing that‘”no country would remain without reacting in such a case”while recalling that Israel “did not mention his intention to attack Iran.”

If she believes that “the first attack [iranienne] may be over.”Alona Fisher-Kamm specifies that the Israelis are “all on alert” Sunday morning. Israel’s charge d’affaires in France explains that the Hebrew State will therefore adapt its response “depending on the development of the situation on the ground”. For now, she insists that Israel “kept restraint, and did not threaten Iran.” “Israel has no interest in an escalation, a regional conflagration”she adds.

Israel’s charge d’affaires in France is also keen to “thank France for its support”. She welcomes the fact that the Quai d’Orsay has sent “very clear messages” to Iran in “condemning this attack”.

Alona Fisher-Kamm denounces the comments made by Iran to justify its attack against Israel. Tehran presents its attack as a response to the destruction, on April 1, of its consulate in Syria by a strike attributed to Israel. Alona Fisher-Kamm is categorical: “Israel has never claimed responsibility for this attack”. She specifies that the target elsewhere “was never the consulate but commanders of the Al-Quds forces [unité d’élite des Gardiens de la Révolution islamique] who were in a building very close to the consulate.” “We do not take the consulate as targets”, she says.