World leaders call for restraint in the aftermath of Iran’s unprecedented air attack against Israel

World
leaders
have
called
for
calm
in
the
aftermath
of
Iran’s

large-scale
air
attacks
on
Israel
on
Saturday,
with
many
expressing
deep
concern
over
the
prospect
of
a
broader
regional
conflict.

Iran’s
strikes,
which
Israel’s
defense
forces
say
involved
more
than
300
drones
and
missiles
against
military
targets
in
Israel,
has

ratcheted
up
fears
of
a
spillover
conflict
in
a
region
already
grappling
with
the
ongoing
war
in
the
Gaza
Strip.

The
assault
only
resulted
in
limited
damage,
with
Israel’s
military
saying
its

Iron
Dome
defense
system
intercepted
99%
of
the
drones
and
missiles
launched
by
Iran.

Iran
says
its
air
offensive
came
in
response
to
a

suspected
Israeli
strike
on
its
embassy
compound
in
the
Syrian
capital
of
Damascus
earlier
this
month.

“We
will
not
be
able
to
comment
on
the
claims
regarding
a
strike
in
Damascus,”
an
Israeli
foreign
ministry
spokesperson
told
CNBC on
Sunday.

Ahead
of
a
war
cabinet
meeting
on
Monday,
Israel
has
pledged
to “exact
a
price”
from
Iran
in
response
to
the
Saturday
attack.
Analysts
have
said
they
are
unsure
of
the
exact
timing
and
extent
of
such
a
retaliation.

U.S.
President
Joe
Biden
on
Saturday

said
that
he
condemned “in
the
strongest
possible
terms”
Iran’s
unprecedented
air
attack
against
military
facilities
in
Israel.

Biden
added
that
the
U.S. “will
remain
vigilant
to
all
threats
and
will
not
hesitate
to
take
all
necessary
action
to
protect
our
people.”

His
comments
come
as
some
top
U.S.
officials

reportedly
worry
that
Israel
may
soon
respond
to
Iran’s
drone
and
missile
attacks
and
trigger
a
wider
regional
conflict,
according
to
NBC
News.

Biden,
who
affirmed
the
White
House’s “ironclad”
commitment
to
Israel’s
security
once
again
over
the
weekend,
has
privately
expressed
concern
that
Israel’s
Prime
Minister
Benjamin
Netanyahu
is
trying
to
drag
the
U.S.
into
a
broader
conflict,

NBC
News
reported
Sunday,
citing
three
unnamed
people
familiar
with
the
matter.

CNBC
could
not
independently
verify
the
report.

European
leaders
castigated
Iran’s
attack
against
Israel
and
vowed
to
work
to
de-escalate
the
situation.

“I
condemn
in
the
strongest
terms
the
unprecedented
attack
launched
by
Iran
against
Israel,
which
threatens
to
destabilize
the
region,”
French
President
Emmanuel
Macron

said
on
Sunday
on
social
media
platform
X.

“France
is
working
on
de-escalation
with
its
partners
and
calls
for
restraint.”

German
Foreign
Minister
Annalena
Baerbock
on
Saturday

said
that
Germany “strongly”
condemned
the
attack
and
warned
that
it
could “plunge
an
entire
region
into
chaos.”

“Iran
and
its
proxies
must
stop
this
immediately.
Israel
has
our
full
solidarity
at
this
time,”
Baerbock
said
via
X,
according
to
an
NBC
translation.

U.K.
Prime
Minister
Rishi
Sunak

said
Saturday
that
he
condemned “in
the
strongest
terms”
the “reckless”
Iranian
attack
against
Israel,
adding
that
the
country
would “continue
to
stand
up”
for
Israel’s
security.

“Iran
has
once
again
demonstrated
that
it
is
intent
on
sowing
chaos
in
its
own
backyard,”
Sunak
said
in
a
statement.

“Alongside
our
allies,
we
are
urgently
working
to
stabilise
the
situation
and
prevent
further
escalation.
No
one
wants
to
see
more
bloodshed,”
he
added.

France
and
the
U.K.
intercepted
some
of
Iran’s
strikes
on
Israel
on
Saturday.

In
the
Middle
East
and
North
Africa
region,
Saudi
Arabia’s
Foreign
Ministry

expressed “deep
concern”
regarding
the
developments
of
military
escalation
in
the
region “and
the
seriousness
of
its
repercussions.”

In
a
statement
published
via
X
on
Sunday
and
translated
by
NBC
News,
the
ministry
called
on
all
parties “to
exercise
the
utmost
levels
of
restraint”
and
urged
the
United
Nations
Security
Council
to
prevent
the
escalation
of
a
crisis
that
would
have “serious
consequences
if
it
expands.”

Egypt

said
it
expressed “deep
concern”
regarding
the
Iranian
offensive
and
called
for
the “utmost
degree
of
restraint
to
spare
the
region
and
its
peoples
from
further
factors
of
instability
and
tension.”

“Egypt
considers
that
the
dangerous
escalation
that
the
Iranian/Israeli
arena
is
currently
witnessing
is
nothing
but
a
direct
result
of
what
Egypt
has
repeatedly
warned
about,
about
the
dangers
of
expanding
the
conflict
in
the
region
as
a
result
of
the
Israeli
war
on
the
Gaza
Strip,
and
the
provocative
military
actions
being
practiced
in
the
region,”
the
ministry
said
on
X,
according
to
a
translation.

In
Asia,
a
foreign
ministry
spokesperson
for
China

said
Sunday
that
Beijing
expressed “deep
concern”
over
the
escalation
of
tensions
in
the
region
and
called
on
relevant
parties “to
exercise
calm
and
restraint.”

“The
ongoing
situation
is
the
latest
spillover
of
the
Gaza
conflict,”
the
spokesperson
said
in
response
to
a
question
about
Iran’s
strikes.

“China
calls
on
the
international
community,
especially
countries
with
influence,
to
play
a
constructive
role
for
the
peace
and
stability
of
the
region.”

Japan’s
Foreign
Minister
Yoko
Kamikawa

said
the
country
was “deeply
concerned
about
the
attacks,
which
further
deteriorate
the
current
situation
in
the
Middle
East,
and
strongly
condemns
such
an
escalation.”

“Japan
has
been
strongly
urging
the
parties
concerned
to
calm
down
the
situation
as
peace
and
stability
in
the
Middle
East
is
extremely
important
for
Japan
as
well,”
Kamikawa
said
in
a
statement
on
Sunday.

In
South
America,
Colombia’s
President
Gustavo
Petro
called
on
the
United
Nations
to “meet
urgently”
and “immediately
commit
to
peace.”

“It
was
predictable;
we’re
now
in
the
prelude
to
World
War
III
precisely
when
humanity
should
rebuild
its
economy
towards
the
rapid
goal
of
decarbonization,”
Petro
said.

“The
support
of
the
U.S.,
in
practice,
for
a
genocide,
has
ignited
the
world.
Everyone
knows
how
wars
start,
no
one
knows
how
they
end.”

Argentina’s
President
Javier
Milei
said
his
office
expressed
its “solidarity
and
unwavering
commitment”
to
Israel
following
the
attacks
by
Iran.

“The
Republic
of
Argentina
recognizes
the
right
of
State-Nations
to
defend
themselves
and
strongly
supports
the
State
of
Israel
in
the
defense
of
its
sovereignty,
in
particular
against
regimes
that
promote
terror
and
seek
the
destruction
of
western
civilization,”
Milei
said.