World reacts to Israeli escalation
Many countries across the world, especially regional ones, condemned Israel’s Saturday attacks on Iran while many others called for restraint and de-escalation as the tensions caused by Israel’s aggressions against Gaza and Lebanon is dragging more countries into the conflict in the West Asia region.
Iran’s Arab neighbors condemned the aggression as a violation of Iran’s sovereignty.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry in a statement slammed the attack as a “violation of its sovereignty” and international laws, urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint.
Riyadh called on the international community to take action towards de-escalation and ending conflicts in the region.
Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the aggression as a blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international law.
Qatar expressed deep concern over Israel’s continued escalation and its repercussions on security and stability in the region.
In a statement, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of exercising maximum restraint and wisdom to avoid risks and the expansion of the conflict.
Iraq denounced global inaction against Israel’s expansion of conflict in West Asia.
“The occupying Zionist entity continues its aggressive policies and widening the conflict in the region through blatant attacks that it carries out with impunity,” including against Iranian targets, Government spokesman Basim Alawadi said in a statement denouncing “the international community’s silence” on Israeli actions.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry also expressed condemnation and accused Israel of “endangering the security of the region.”
Other Arab states in the region also condemned the Israel’s aggression.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry slammed the aggression, expressing its solidarity and support for Iran.
Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Sufyan Qudah called on the international community to “assume its responsibilities and take immediate measures to impose a halt to the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon as a first step towards reducing the escalation.”
Algeria, Tunisia, Bahrain and Lebanon also condemned the attack.
Turkey also condemned Israel’s aggression against Iran in the “strongest terms.”
“Israel, which is committing genocide in Gaza, preparing to annex the West Bank, and killing civilians every day in Lebanon, with this attack has now brought our region to the brink of a wider war,” said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement.
“It is now clear that putting an end to Israeli terror in the region has become a historic task to ensure international security and peace,” it added.
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which is at war with Israel in Gaza, also blasted Israel.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the Zionist aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the targeting of military sites in several provinces,” the movement said in a statement, calling the move “a blatant violation of Iranian sovereignty and an escalation that threatens the security of the region.”
‘End cycle of violence’
Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to the cycle of violence.
It said Israel’s continuous acts with impunity have severely affected and will continue to affect the security and future stability of West Asia, bringing the region closer to the brink of a wider conflict.
Pakistan also strongly condemned the aggression, saying, “Israel bears full responsibility for the current cycle of escalation and expansion of the conflict.”
‘Explosive escalation’
Russia warned of an “explosive escalation” in the region after the Israeli airstrikes.
“We urge all parties involved to exercise restraint, stop the violence, and prevent events from developing into a catastrophic scenario,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
The US and Britain called for “de-escalation.”
The United States urged Iran to stop attacking Israel and break the cycle of violence “without further escalation”.
Washington defended the regime’s attacks, saying that Israel’s “response was an exercise in self-defense.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also called for “de-escalation” and said Iran should not respond to Israel’s strikes.
The European Union on Saturday called for all parties to exercise utmost restraint to avoid an “uncontrollable escalation” in the Middle East, after Israel carried out deadly air strikes in Iran.