Tehran, Iran — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned on Sunday against any “reckless” Israeli retaliation to Tehran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack, as world leaders urged restraint.
Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory, marking a major escalation of the long-running covert war between the regional foes and sparking fears of a broader conflict, as fighting between Israel and Hamas rages on in the Gaza Strip.
Tehran had repeatedly threatened to retaliate against Israel for a deadly April 1 air strike on Iran’s consulate building in Damascus, and Washington had warned in recent days that a response was imminent.
The response came late Saturday when Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel, injuring 12 people, the Israeli army said.
But almost all of the drones and missiles were intercepted before they reached Israel, with help from the United States, Jordan and other allies.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that 99 percent of the launches had been intercepted, declaring that “the Iranian attack was foiled”.
While 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles were shot down before they reached Israel, a few of the 110 ballistic missiles did get through, the Israeli army said.
Among the injured was a 12-year-old girl near the southern Israeli town of Arad who was in intensive care, according to the medical center that received her.
Iran’s President Raisi said in a statement that “if the Zionist regime (Israel) or its supporters demonstrate reckless behavior, they will receive a decisive and much stronger response.”
Numerous countries condemned the attack, and the United Nations Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting later on Sunday over what it has called a “serious escalation”.
The attack also came as the latest attempt to reach a ceasefire in the war in Gaza appeared to falter, with Israel accusing Hamas of rejecting a truce proposal.
‘Running home’
Iran’s allies also carried out coordinated attacks on Israeli positions.
AFP correspondents heard blasts in the skies above Jerusalem early Sunday, and overnight people sought cover in the city while some residents stockpiled water.
On Sunday morning, people were beginning to tentatively return to the streets of Jerusalem.
Ayala Salant, 48, told AFP “the situation is really frightening”.
“We are afraid of what is happening and all of the bombing and aircraft that are coming.”
Israel, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon all said they had reopened their airspace after suspending air traffic during the attack.
The Iranian army declared that its attack was “completed successfully,” which it said was in “self defense” after the Damascus strike which killed seven of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards including two generals earlier this month.
“Operation Honest Promise… achieved all its objectives”, said Mohammad Bagheri, the Iranian armed forces’ chief of staff.
Bagheri said the attack targeted an intelligence center and the air base from which Tehran says the Israeli F-35 jets took off to strike the Damascus consulate.
“Both these centers were significantly destroyed,” he said, though Israel maintains that the attack only resulted in minor damage.
Hundreds of Iranians gathered in Tehran’s Palestine Square waving Iranian and Palestinian flags in a show of support for the military action.
‘Ironclad’ US support for Israel
Iran’s allies in the region joined the attack, with Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels also launching drones at Israel, according to security agency Ambrey.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement announced it had fired rockets at Israeli positions in the annexed Golan Heights around the same time, as well as a second barrage hours later.
An Israeli strike destroyed a building in Lebanon’s east on Sunday, the state-run National News Agency reported. A source within Hezbollah told AFP that there were no casualties.
As the attack was occurring, US President Joe Biden reiterated Washington’s “ironclad” support for Israel.
Biden said he told Netanyahu during a phone call that Israel’s defense against the attack sent “a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel”.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations warned Washington to keep out of Iran’s conflict with Israel.
The mission added on X that it hoped Iran’s attack would lead to no further escalation and “the matter can be deemed concluded”.
Countries around the world condemned Iran's strikes on Israel late Saturday, warning the attack threatened to further destabilize the Middle East.
Here are some of the main reactions so far:
- United States -
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, formerly Twitter, posting a picture of the meeting in the White House Situation Room.
- Qatar -
Qatar expressed "deep concern" following the strikes and called on "all parties to halt escalation" and "exercise maximum restraint". The gas-rich emirate, which has been engaged in weeks of talks with Israel and Hamas and mediated a hostage exchange between Tehran and Washinton in September urged the international community to "take urgent action to defuse the tension and de-escalate."
- Britain -
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the "reckless" strikes, which he said "risk inflaming tensions and destabilizing 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 said the strikes were "an unprecedented escalation and a grave threat to regional security" in a message on X.
- United Nations -
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran".
"I am deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation," he added, calling on parties to "avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East".
- Egypt -
Cairo's foreign ministry expressed its "deep concern" at the escalation of hostilities and called for "maximum restraint".
The ministry's statement also warned of the "risk of the regional expansion of the conflict", and added that Egypt would be "in direct contact with all parties to the conflict to try and contain the situation".
- Saudi Arabia -
The Saudi foreign ministry voiced its concern at the "military escalation" and called on "all parties to exercise utmost restraint and spare the region and its peoples from the dangers of war".
It went on to urge the UN Security Council "to assume its responsibility towards maintaining international peace and security".
- China -
China's foreign ministry also urged restraint, characterizing 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.
- France -
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack, and urged restraint.
"I condemn in the strongest terms the unprecedented attack launched by Iran against Israel, which carries the risk of destabilizing the region," Macron said on X.
"This is an expression of my solidarity with the Israeli people and of the importance we attach to the security of Israel, of our partners and to regional stability," he said. "France is working with its partners towards de-escalation and calls for restraint."
- Germany -
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the Iranian attack as "irresponsible and unjustifiable," saying "Iran risks a regional conflagration," his spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.
"In these difficult times, Germany stands by Israel's side," added Hebestreit.
- Canada -
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa "unequivocally condemns Iran's airborne attacks", adding: "We stand with Israel."
- Spain -
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for restraint, saying Madrid "will always condemn all forms of violence which threaten the security and the well-being of innocent civilians."
"The response from all international leaders requires responsibility and restraint. We must learn the lessons of history and find a means of resolving conflicts diplomatically, avoiding further escalation at all costs," he said
- Italy -
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meloni condemned the attack and said she feared "destabilization of the region" which "we are continuing to work to avoid."
- Ukraine -
Ukraine's foreign ministry said Kyiv "strongly condemns Iran's massive air attack" which also "demonstrates why it is critical that all of the free world's forces are consolidated to defend the global borders of democracy."
Before Tehran launched its attack on Saturday, the Israeli military warned Iran it would suffer the “consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further”.
Iran had earlier seized an Israeli-linked container vessel in the Gulf, putting the whole region on alert
Gaza stalemate
Meanwhile, fighting in Gaza continued. The war began with an unprecedented October 7 attack by Hamas against Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s offensive has killed at least 33,729 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry.
On Saturday night, Hamas said it had submitted its response to a truce plan presented by US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators at talks that started in Cairo on April 7.
Hamas said it was sticking to its previous demands, insisting on “a permanent ceasefire” and the “withdrawal of the (Israeli) occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip”.
Israel’s Mossad spy agency described this as a rejection of the proposal, accusing Hamas of “continuing to exploit the tension with Iran” and aiming for “a general escalation in the region”.
Shortly before the launches, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for a “direct attack from Iran”.
Our defense systems are deployed, we are prepared for any scenario, both in defense and attack,” the Israeli premier said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had already seized an Israeli-linked container vessel in the Gulf earlier on Saturday, putting the whole region on alert.