Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz. (Photo: Getty)

Mr. Katz made this proposal during a meeting on August 16 with his British and French counterparts in Jerusalem, to discuss “preventing regional escalation and promoting a hostage deal,” information from the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

However, both France and Britain have downplayed that possibility, stressing the need to break the “current vicious cycle of retaliation” in the Middle East.

French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné told a press conference in Jerusalem that it would be “inappropriate” to talk about “Israeli retaliation or preparations for retaliation” while diplomatic talks were ongoing.

Katz’s statement comes amid growing concerns that Iran will strike in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Iran has blamed Israel for the assassination, which Israel has neither confirmed nor denied.

Asked about Mr Katz’s remarks, a Foreign Office spokesman stressed that Britain was “working closely with our allies to de-escalate tensions” and “calling on all sides to refrain from continuing the current cycle of brutal retaliatory violence”.

“We call on Iran and its allies to refrain from attacks that could further escalate tensions in the region and jeopardize the chances of a ceasefire and the release of hostages. No country or people benefits from further escalation in the Middle East,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said.

A source familiar with the meeting between the foreign ministers of Israel , France and the UK told CNN that the three ministers “did not discuss joining a coalition to attack Iran.”

A senior US administration official was more strident, warning that there could be “catastrophic” consequences, “particularly for Iran,” if Tehran decided to attack Israel and escalate the conflict in the Middle East.

The official added that the US, through intermediaries, had urged Iran not to attack so that there would be a path to a ceasefire and hostage release at the negotiating table. The de-escalation and ceasefire were “separate” but were happening in parallel, the official said.

When asked by CNN whether the US would take part in any attack on Iran following Katz’s comments, the Biden administration official dodged the question, saying it was “hypothetical.”

Meanwhile, Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha paused on August 16. Negotiators will meet again next week to seek an agreement to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas and free the remaining hostages.

In a joint statement, the United States, Qatar and Egypt said Washington had put forward a new proposal based on points agreed last week, narrowing the gap so that a ceasefire could be reached quickly.