Israel launches 'diplomatic offensive' against Iran

Tel Aviv, April 16 (IANS/DPA) Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz has launched what he called a "diplomatic offensive" against Iran following the major Iranian attack on Israel.

"This morning I sent letters to 32 countries and spoke with dozens of foreign ministers and leading figures around the world," Katz wrote on Tuesday on the X platform.

He called for sanctions to be imposed on Iran's missile programme and for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be declared a terrorist organization. Katz believes these measures would help slow down and weaken Tehran.

"Iran must be stopped now - before it is too late," he wrote.

Katz wrote that Israel's diplomatic campaign against Iran should be flanked by a military response to Tehran's attack with more than 300 missiles, cruise missiles and drones. Israel and allied defences intercepted almost all of the incoming fire.

Israel's military leadership has signalled that it does not intend to leave the major Iranian attack on Saturday night unanswered.

Iran said it was in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and five officers.