Netanyahu brushes off calls for restraint in response to Iran’s attack

People protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country will be the one to decide whether and how to respond to Iran’s major air assault at the weekend, brushing off calls for restraint from close allies.

Israel has vowed to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack without saying when or how, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of unrest linked to the ongoing war in Gaza.