Condemnation, calls for restraint: World reacts to Israeli strikes on Iran

The Israeli military launched strikes on military bases in Iran, hitting about 20 sites over several hours in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran.

Iran confirmed that the attacks on Saturday targeted military bases but resulted in only “limited damage”, the barrage marking an escalation in the ongoing tensions between the two countries.

The Israeli army announced that the operation was complete, and military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that if Iran carries out retaliatory strikes, Israel will be “obligated to respond”.

Iran’s air defence headquarters said the “aggressive action was successfully intercepted and countered by the country’s integrated air defense system”.

Here are some world reactions:

United States

“We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told reporters.

“Their response was an exercise in self-defence and specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, contrary to Iran’s attack against Israel that targeted Israel’s most populous city,” he added.

Stressing that the US did not participate in the operation, he said “it is our aim to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region”.

A senior White House official said the Biden administration believed the Israeli operation should “close out” the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran. US President Joe Biden was updated as the Israeli operation was developing and as the attacks were carried out by the Israelis, the official said.

Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder posted on X that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke to his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant and “reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the US to Israel’s security and right to self-defense”.

Saudi Arabia

Condemning the military targeting Iran as a “violation of its sovereignty” and international laws, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged all parties to “exercise the utmost restraint and reduce escalation”.

The ministry said in a statement, “The Kingdom affirms its firm position in its rejection of the continued escalation in the region and the expansion of the conflict that threatens the security and stability of the countries and peoples of the region.”

In recent months, relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have improved with high-level meetings held between officials from both sides.

In 2023, the two countries agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies in a deal reached in China.

Iraq

“The occupying Zionist entity continues its aggressive policies and widening the conflict in the region through blatant attacks that it carries out with impunity”, including against Iranian targets, government spokesman Basim Alawadi said in a statement denouncing “the international community’s silence” on Israeli actions.

A statement from the prime minister’s office said Iraq “reiterates its firm stance calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, and for comprehensive regional and international efforts to support stability in the region”.

(Al Jazeera)

Hamas

The Palestinian group said it condemned “the Zionist aggression” against Iran.

“We consider it a flagrant violation of Iranian sovereignty and an escalation targeting the security of the region and the safety of its peoples, which holds the occupation fully responsible for the repercussions of this aggression supported by the United States of America.”

United Kingdom

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Iran should not respond to a wave of Israeli strikes, urging restraint on all sides.

“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I’m equally clear that we need to avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to show restraint. Iran should not respond,” he told a news conference in Samoa, where he has been attending a Commonwealth leaders’ meeting.

Pakistan

The Israeli military strikes “against the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Iran “are a grave violation of the UN Charter and the international law”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The attacks “undermine path to regional peace and stability and also constitute a dangerous escalation in an already volatile region,” the ministry statement said, adding that “Israel bears full responsibility for the current cycle of escalation and expansion of the conflict in the region”.

It also called on the United Nations Security Council “to play its role for the maintenance of international peace and security, and to take immediate steps to bring an end to Israeli recklessness in the region and its criminal behaviour”.

United Arab Emirates

The Gulf nation condemned the military targeting of Iran and expressed “deep concern over the continued escalation and its impact on regional security and stability”.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised the “importance of exercising the highest levels of restraint and wisdom to avoid risks and the expansion of conflict”.

Oman

The attack was a “blatant violation” of Iran’s sovereignty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that the Israeli air strikes were “an escalation that fuels the cycle of violence and undermines efforts aimed at de-escalation and reducing tension”.

It also called on the “international community once again to take effective action to stop the aggression and put an end to violations on the territories of neighbouring countries”.

Malaysia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the Israeli strikes a “clear violation of international law” that “seriously undermine regional security”.

It also said that “Malaysia calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to the cycle of violence”.

Israel’s continued attacks on countries in the Middle East continue to bring the region closer to the brink of a wider war, the ministry statement added.