Countries around the world condemned Iran's strikes on Israel late Saturday, warning the attack threatened to further destabilise the Middle East. In the night of 13 and 14 April, Iran sent waves of drones and missiles to Israel, but most of them were shot down by Israeli defence systems.
The Israeli army said on Sunday that Iran's attack on Israel using hundreds of drones and missiles had been "foiled," with 99 percent of them intercepted.
"The Iranian attack was foiled," Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.
Countries around the world condemned Iran's strikes on Israel late Saturday, warning the attack threatened to further destabilise the Middle East.
Here are some of the main reactions so far:
France
France's Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné on X said that "in deciding to take this unprecedented action, Iran has reached a new level in its acts of destabilisation and is risking a military escalation".
La France condamne avec la plus grande fermeté l’attaque déclenchée par l’Iran contre Israël.
— Stéphane Séjourné (@steph_sejourne) April 13, 2024
En décidant d’une telle action sans précédent, l’Iran franchit un nouveau pallier dans ses actions de déstabilisation et prend le risque d’une escalade militaire.
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US
President Joe Biden promised "ironclad" support for Israel after holding an urgent meeting with top security officials.
"I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran's attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad," Biden said on X, posting a picture of the meeting in the White House Situation Room.
Britain
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a statement condemned the "reckless" strikes, which he said "risk inflaming tensions and destabilising the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard."
European Union
The European Union's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell condemned the strikes as "an unprecedented escalation and a grave threat to regional security" in a message on X.
China
China's foreign ministry also urged restraint, characterising the attack as "the latest spillover of the Gaza conflict" and calling for the implementation of a recent UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire there, saying the "conflict must end now".
"China calls on the international community, especially countries with influence, to play a constructive role for the peace and stability of the region," it added.
"Self defence"
Iran had repeatedly threatened to retaliate against Israel for a deadly April 1 air strike on its Damascus consular annexe.
Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York on Sunday published a letter to the UN Security Council, saying that "in the exercise of Iran’s inherent right to self-defense ... and in response to the Israeli recurring military aggressions, particularly its armed attack on 1st April 2024 against Iranian diplomatic premises," when Israel attacked Iran's Consulate General in Damascus killing seven, among whom a general of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
France, Washington and other countries had warned repeatedly in recent days that the reprisals were imminent and urged their citizens to leave Iran.
(With newswires)
