Israel’s attack on Iran: how the world reacted

Regional and world governments condemned it IsraelSaturday’s attack on Iran, calling it an attack on sovereignty and calling for restraint between the two regional foes.

Israel attacked several military facilities in Iran in the early morning hours of Saturday, after weeks of waiting for a response to Iran’s missile attacks on Israel on October 1.

Officials say air defenses activated and successfully repelled many attacks, while others caused “limited damage.”

The explosions were first heard in Tehran and other parts of Iran around 2:30 a.m. GMT.

In response to the attack, Saudi Arabia called on all parties involved to “exercise the utmost restraint and limit escalation” in the region.

“The Kingdom reaffirms its firm position by rejecting further escalation in the region and the development of a conflict that threatens the security and stability of the countries and peoples of the region,” the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Former rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia have mended relations in recent years, while the kingdom’s efforts to normalize ties with Israel have largely collapsed since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

The United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020, also condemned the attack on Iran and expressed “deep concern” about the “impacts on regional security and stability.”

Pakistan also condemned the attack, calling it a “dangerous escalation in an already unstable region”, while Malaysia said it was a “clear violation of international law”.

Iraq condemned global passivity towards the “occupying Zionist entity”, which it said continues its “aggressive policy and widens the conflict in the region through flagrant attacks which it carries out with impunity”.

Since the Hamas-led attack last October and the subsequent war in Gaza, Israeli attacks on Iran and its allies have drawn Tehran into direct confrontation with Israel.

Israel said its attacks were in response to a massive Iranian ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1, which Iran said it carried out in response to Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and an Iranian commander in Beirut.

Hamas on Saturday condemned the Israeli attack on Iran as an act of “aggression.”

“The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) strongly condemns the Zionist aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, targeting military facilities in many provinces,” the group said in a statement.

“We consider this a gross violation of Iran’s sovereignty and an escalation that threatens the security of the region and the safety of its people, placing full responsibility on the occupiers for the consequences of this aggression, supported by the United States of America.”

“The right to self-defense”

Israel’s allies defended the attack on Iran, emphasizing its right to defend itself, although some called for an end to the tit-for-tat operation.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and right to self-defense” during a telephone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday.

“The Secretary emphasized the strengthened posture of United States forces to defend U.S. personnel, Israel, and partners throughout the region in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations, as well as the determination of the United States to prevent any entity from exploiting tensions or expanding conflict in the region ” – we read in the statement.

France also called on all parties “refrain from any escalation and actions that could exacerbate the context of extreme tension.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for restraint on Saturday following the Israeli attack on Iran.

“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I am equally clear that we must avoid further escalation in the region and call on all parties to show restraint. Iran should not react,” he said at a news conference in Samoa.