In Israel pre-dawn airstrikes on Iranian military targets retaliation for the series of missiles fired by the Islamic republic that fired at Israel earlier this month was met with different opinions at home and abroad.
Explosions were heard in Iran's capital, Tehran, although Iran insisted the strikes caused “minor damage” and Iranian state media downplayed the attack.
Strikes risk pushing larger enemies closer to an all-out battle at a time escalating violence throughout the Middle Eastwhere militant groups backed by Iran – including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – are already fighting Israel.
The United States, which was given advanced warning of the attack, called for further retaliation, while Britain and Germany said Iran should not respond.
“As the Israelis said, their response was to defend themselves and avoid especially populated areas and focus only on military targets, as opposed to an attack by Iran against Israel that targeted a populated Israeli city,” Sean Savett, White's spokesman. The House National Security Council, in a statement, added: “It is our goal to accelerate negotiations and reduce tensions in the Middle East region. We urge Iran to stop its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of hostilities ends without further escalation.”
President Biden told reporters on Saturday that Israel had warned him before the strikes, saying it appeared they “hit nothing but military targets.” Mr. Biden said he just got off the phone with intelligence officials.
“I hope this is the end,” he said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at the Commonwealth Summit in Samoa, said Iran must not respond to Israeli airstrikes and urged all parties to exercise restraint.
“This is a live situation, and obviously we're monitoring it closely with our partners,” Starmer said. “We must avoid regional tensions and urge all parties to exercise restraint. Iran should not respond. We will continue to work with allies to de-escalate the situation throughout the region.”
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the secretary-general of the United Nations said: “All acts of aggression are condemned and must stop.”
At home, Israel's opposition leader, Yair Lapid, criticized the decision to avoid “strategic and economic goals,” saying in X that “we could and should have exacted a very heavy price on Iran.”
Saudi Arabia is one of many countries in the region that condemned the strike, calling it a violation of “Iran's sovereignty and a violation of international laws and regulations.” Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the expansion of the region.
In a statement on Facebook, Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “condemns all actions that threaten the security and stability of the region…”
It said a ceasefire in Gaza was the “only way to end” tensions in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Turkey accused Israel of “bringing our region to the brink of a major war” following its strikes on Iran.
“Ending the terror created by Israel in the region is a historic task in terms of establishing international security and peace,” the State Department said in a statement.
It called on the international community to “take immediate action to enforce the law and stop the Netanyahu government.”
After the airstrikes, Iran's Foreign Ministry said it has the right to defend itself, and “considers itself the right and responsibility to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression.”
In a carefully worded statement on Saturday, Iran's military appeared to suggest that a ceasefire to “prevent the killing of helpless and oppressed people” in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon is accompanied by any retaliation by Israel.
While they still say they have the right to retaliate, a statement from Iran's military suggests that Tehran may be trying to find another way to continue the war after Israel's attack early Saturday. Iran raised the death toll in the Israeli attack to four and said all of them were working in air defense.
After these strikes, the streets of the Iranian capital were peaceful and children went to school and shops opened as usual. The only sign of concern was the long queues at gas stations – a regular occurrence in Tehran when military violence flares up as people stock up on fuel.
Israel and Iran have been bitter enemies since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel considers Iran the greatest threat, citing its leaders' calls for Israel's destruction, its support for anti-Israel groups and its nuclear program.
During their shadow years of war, an alleged Israeli assassination campaign has killed Iranian nuclear scientists, and Iran's nuclear facilities have been hacked or destroyed.
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