Cameron urges Israel to be ‘smart’ by not escalating tensions with Iran

The UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, has urged Israel to act with its head as well as its heart and not escalate the conflict by mounting a revenge raid on Iran.

His remarks imply the UK would not take part in an attack on Iran but would continue to defend Israel if it came under further assault.

“Not only was their attack an almost total failure but also the rest of the world can now see what a malign influence they are in the region and understand their true nature.”

In one of a series of interviews, he said on Sky News the UK would have responded if a UK diplomatic facility had been attacked by missiles – but he condemned the scale of the Iranian response to the attack on its consulate in Damascus involving drones, cruise and ballistic and missiles, saying: “If those weapons got through it could have led to thousands of civilian casualties.”

Pressed on LBC on the wisdom of the Israeli embassy attack in Damascus, the former Conservative prime minister said: “It is a matter for Israel.

Had these weapons got through, we could have seen thousands of people killed, including citizens of Israel, and a very significant escalation in this conflict.”