Israelis awaited word on how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would respond to Iran’s first-ever direct attack as international pressure for restraint grew amid fears of an escalation of conflict in the Middle East.

Netanyahu on Monday summoned his war cabinet for the second time in less than 24 hours to weigh a response to Iran’s massive weekend missile and drone attack, a government source said.

While the attack caused no deaths and little damage, thanks to the air defences and countermeasures of Israel and its allies, it has increased concerns that violence rooted in the Gaza war is spreading, and fears of open war between the long-time foes.

Israeli military chief of staff Herzi Halevi said on Monday that “this launch of so many missiles – cruise missiles and drones – into Israeli territory will be met with a response” but gave no details.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani told state TV on Monday night that Tehran’s response to any Israeli retaliation would come in “a matter of seconds, as Iran will not wait for another 12 days to respond”.

But the prospect of Israeli retaliation has alarmed many Iranians already enduring economic pain and tighter social and political controls since protests in 2022-23.

Iran launched the attack in retaliation for an airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 attributed to Israel, and signalled that it did not seek further escalation.

U.S. President Joe Biden told Netanyahu at the weekend that the United States, which helped Israel blunt the Iranian attack, would not participate in an Israeli counter-strike.

Since the war in Gaza began in October, clashes have erupted between Israel and Iran-aligned groups based in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.

Israel said four of its soldiers were wounded hundreds of metres inside Lebanese territory overnight, the first known Israeli ground penetration into Lebanon since the Gaza war erupted, although it has traded fire with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

“We’re on the edge of the cliff and we have to move away from it,” Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron made similar appeals.

Washington and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also have called for restraint.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby declined on Monday to say if Biden had urged Netanyahu in talks on Saturday night to exercise restraint in responding to Iran.

“We don’t want to see a war with Iran. We don’t want to see a regional conflict,” Kirby told a briefing, adding that it was for Israel to decide “whether and how they’ll respond”.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he was “leading a diplomatic attack” alongside Israel’s military response, writing to 32 countries to place sanctions on Iran’s missile programme and proscribe its Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organisation.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Iran’s actions threatened stability in the Middle East and could cause economic spillovers.

The U.S. would use sanctions, and work with allies, to keep disrupting Iran’s “malign and destabilising activity”, she added.

However, some analysts said the Biden administration was unlikely to seek to sharpen sanctions on Iran’s oil exports due to worries about boosting oil prices and angering top buyer China.

In a call between the Chinese and Iranian foreign ministers, China said it believed Iran could “handle the situation well and spare the region further turmoil” while safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity, according to Chinese state media.

Russia has refrained from publicly criticising its ally Iran but has also warned against further escalation.

Iran’s retaliatory attack, involving more than 300 missiles and drones, caused modest damage in Israel and wounded a 7-year-old girl.

Most missiles and drones were shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system and with help from the U.S., Britain, France and Jordan.

In Gaza itself, where more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive according to Gaza health ministry figures, Iran’s action drew applause.

Israel began its campaign against Hamas, the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group that runs Gaza, after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, by Israeli tallies.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Group of Seven major democracies were working on a package of coordinated measures against Iran.

Italy, which holds the rotating G7 presidency, said it was open to new sanctions and suggested any new measures would target individuals.

Iran’s attack prompted at least a dozen airlines to cancel or reroute flights, with Europe’s aviation regulator still advising caution in using Israeli and Iranian airspace. (Reuters/NAN)

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has re-scheduled the 2024 National Common Entrance Examination into Federal Unity Colleges and the entrance examination into Federal Government Academy, Suleja.

This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday by Azeez Sani, acting Director, Information and Digital Communication of the council.

Sani stated that the common entrance examination earlier scheduled for April 20, 2024, would now hold on June 1, 2024.

He also said that the entrance examination for Gifted and Talented Children into Federal Government Academy, Suleja, earlier scheduled to hold on  May 4,
2024 would now hold on May 25, 2024.

He added that the rescheduling of the two examinations was due to low enrollment of candidates.

He enjoined candidates, parents, guardians, schools and relevant stakeholders to take note of the new dates.

Sani said that registration of candidates would continue till the new dates of the examinations. (NAN)

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monday, donated 100 motorcycles to the six Area Councils and security agencies to strengthen the fight against crimes in the city.The FCT Minister gave Nigeria Police Force 30 motorcycles, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) 5 motorcycles, Department of State Security Service (DSS) 5 motorcycles, and each Area Council got 10 motorcycles.

Wike, while handing over the 100 motorcycles to the beneficiaries in Abuja, urged them not to bring the motorcycles to the city center and do not want to continue to hear excuses that the terrain is so bad, they require this and that and they have not been given. According to the FCT Minister, remember that security agencies requested for a specialized motorcycle, that will be used particularly in the rural areas.”The vigilantes will use them in the six area councils, and then the Police, the SSS, and the Civil Defence will also want to do with theirs.”But let me caution, particularly to the security agencies, I don’t want to hear stories tomorrow that the motorcycles are nowhere to be found again, I don’t want to hear such stories. Because sometimes when you give out vehicles, before you know it, the vehicles are no longer there.”Please utilise these motorcycles to fight crimes in the areas you have identified. Ordinarily, the Chairman of the Area Councils ought to handle this, but this is our support to them in the area councils,” the minister said.He added: “Make sure that these motorcycles are given out to the vigilantes, and we are going to provide logistics for those who are going to use these motorcycles. We are going to provide logistics for them.”We have promised the residents of Abuja and the Area Councils that security is a priority for the Renewed Hope Agenda. Anything we can do to protect lives and properties; we are going to do it.”So, I urge you to use it well, and take it not for commercial purposes, not for commercial purposes. I don’t want to see the motorcycles in the city here. It should be used in the rural areas, so they should not be used here.”We are already trying to see how we can phase out motorcycles here, so please let it be taken to the rural areas. All the security agencies, the outposts give it to them. We do not want to continue to hear excuses that the terrain is so bad, they require this and that and they have not been given.”Now that you have been given, these may not be enough, we will continue to provide more. For vehicles, we believe by the next two weeks, the vehicles would have been ready to give out to the security agencies. For us, we will not relent until those who say we will not sleep, they too will also not sleep.”So, we will give out ten to each of the area councils, we will give out thirty to the Police, five for SSS, five for Civil Defence. But I have said, do not use it in the city here. If I find out you are using them in the city, I will find a way and take them back. Go and use it in the rural areas, they need protection and that is what we are doing.”In his response the Commandant General Vigilance Group of Nigeria, Navy Captain Abubakar Bakori Umar (retd), thanked the FCT Minister for donating operational motorcycles to the group to enhance community security in the six Area Councils, Abuja.And assured the Minister that the operational motorcycles given to the group will be judiciously deployed to enhance and strengthen rural security in the FCT.The Commandant General noted that officers and men of VGN are well trained and are embedded in the communities and rural areas across the country where they assist the police and other security agencies with vital intelligence resulting in successful counter insurgency operations.With the patrol motorcycles, Bakori assured the minister and FCT residents that they will enhance the operability and efficiency of VGN operatives while the incident response time will also be greatly reduced.