The international community reacted with alarm after Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel, in its first direct attack on Israeli territory.
Tehran had been threatening to attack Israel after an April 1 airstrike widely blamed on Israel destroyed Iran’s consulate in Syria, killing 12 people., including two elite Iranian generals.
Israeli forces said in a statement early Sunday that the “vast majority” of missiles launched from Iran were intercepted outside Israel’s borders.
Tensions between Israel and Iran have increased since Israel’s six-month war in the Gaza Strip.
Here’s how the world reacted to Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Israel:
U.S
President Joe Biden condemned the Iranian attacks and promised a coordinated G7 diplomatic response. He said the US helped Israel shoot down “almost all” attack drones and missiles.
Biden said in a statement released by the White House that he reiterated the U.S.’s “staunch” support for Israel’s security in a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I told him that Israel has demonstrated a remarkable ability to defend itself and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its enemies that they cannot effectively threaten Israel’s security,” he said in the statement.
“Tomorrow [Sunday]I will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack,” he said.
UK
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described Iran’s actions as “reckless”.
“Iran has demonstrated once again that it intends to sow chaos in its own backyard,” he said in a statement published on X.
“The UK will continue to defend the security of Israel and all our regional partners, including Jordan and Iraq,” he added.
Read my statement on the Iranian regime’s reckless attack on Israel. pic.twitter.com/xeuR3cd3kG
-Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) April 13, 2024
European Union
“The EU strongly condemns the unacceptable Iranian attack on Israel,” said the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, in a post on X.
“This is an unprecedented escalation and a serious threat to regional security.”
France
Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Sejourne said Iran is taking a “new step in its destabilizing actions and running the risk of military escalation.”
Germany
“We strongly condemn the ongoing attack, which could plunge an entire region into chaos. Iran and its representatives must stop this immediately,” said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
“Israel offers our full solidarity at this time.”
United Nations
“I strongly condemn the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched against Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran tonight,” Secretary-General António Guterres wrote in a statement.
“I am deeply alarmed by the very real danger of a devastating escalation across the region. I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military clashes on multiple fronts in the Middle East,” he added.
Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told journalists in Ottawa that his country “unequivocally condemns Iran’s airstrikes,” adding: “We stand with Israel.”
“After supporting Hamas’ brutal attack on October 7, the Iranian regime’s latest actions will further destabilize the region and make lasting peace more difficult,” he added.
China
China is deeply concerned about the escalation following Iran’s attacks, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in comments posted on its website.
“China calls on relevant parties to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid further escalation of tensions,” the spokesperson said in response to a question about Iran’s attacks.
This round of tensions is a “repercussion of the Gaza conflict” and suppressing that conflict is “a top priority”, the spokesperson added.
Spain
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for restraint, saying on X: “We are following the evolution of the situation in the Middle East with the greatest concern. Regional escalation must be avoided at all costs.”
Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing its concern about the “military escalation” and calling on “all parties to exercise maximum restraint and spare the region and its people from the dangers of war.”
He then urged the UN Security Council “to assume its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security”.
Qatar
The Gulf nation appealed to all parties involved to stop escalation and exercise maximum restraint.
In a statement, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “its deep concern about developments in the region”.
He called on “all parties to calm the escalation and exercise maximum restraint”.
He urged “the international community to take urgent measures to calm tension and de-escalate the region.”
Egypt
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “deep concern” about the escalation of hostilities and called for “maximum restraint”.
His statement also warned of the “risk of regional expansion of the conflict” and added that Egypt would be “in direct contact with all parties to the conflict to try to contain the situation”.
Colombia
President Gustavo Petro described the attacks as “predictable”, adding that “we are now in the prelude to the Third World War, precisely when humanity should rebuild its economy towards the rapid goal of decarbonization”.
“The US support, in practice, for a genocide, set the world on fire. Everyone knows how wars start, no one knows how they end. If only the people of Israel were elevated enough, like their ancestors, to stop the madness of their ruler,” he said in a statement.
“The United Nations must meet urgently and commit itself immediately to peace.”
Brazil
The Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it follows “with great concern” the news that Iranian drones and missiles were sent to Israel.
He noted that Brazil has been warning the international community, since the start of the war in Gaza, that the conflict could spread throughout the region.
Argentina
President Javier Milei’s office expressed its “solidarity and unwavering commitment” with Israel in the face of the attacks.
He added that Argentina “emphatically supports the State of Israel in defending its sovereignty, especially against regimes that promote terror,” noting that an Argentine court recently held Iran responsible for the bomb attacks on the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in the 1990s.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
