A look at world leaders’ reactions to Iran’s missile strikes on Israel

(AFP, Paris, 1st) World leaders today urged Iran and Israel to step back from the brink after Iran imposed a missile ban on Israel.

Tehran said the attack was in response to the assassination of the head of Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which comes as Israel launches a ground offensive against the group.

This is Iran’s second direct attack on Israel; Tehran attacked Israel with missiles and drones in April this year in retaliation for a deadly Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

Here are the comments on Iran’s missile strikes on Israel:

● The United Nations

Following Iran’s airstrikes on Israel, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, condemned “the unfolding conflict in the Middle East. “

As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, and the war between the Israeli army and the Palestinian armed group Hamas in Gaza continues, Guterres condemns the “step-by-step escalation” of tensions in the East Medium.

“This has to stop. A ceasefire is absolutely necessary,” he said.

United States

The White House issued a statement saying that when Iran launched the attack, President Joe Biden ordered the US military to “assist Israel by repelling Iranian attacks and firing at missiles aimed at Israel. “

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the attack was “totally unacceptable” and should be condemned worldwide.

“Initial reports indicate that Israel, with active support from the United States and other partners, effectively repelled the attack,” Blinken told reporters.

● Israel

Israel vowed to retaliate against the Iranian attack.

“This attack will have consequences,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said: “We have several plans and we will act where and when we decide.”

●Hamas

Hamas, the Islamic group that attacked Israel on October 7 last year and started the Gaza war, praised Iran for attacking Israel.

Hamas said the attack was in retaliation for Israel’s killing of “our brave martyrs”, including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an airstrike in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, on September 27. , and in Iran at the end of July the leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the capital Tehran.

● Spain

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged an end to the “escalation of violence” in the Middle East, while the foreign minister called on all parties to “stop it”.

“The Spanish government condemns Iran’s attack on Israel and calls for an end to the escalation of violence,” Sanchez said on the X social media platform.

Meanwhile, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Cadena Ser radio that Madrid was “issuing a new appeal to all the parties involved, obviously including Israel, to show interference and not to damage the “updated” position.

● Germany

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Iran to stop missile attacks on Israel and wrote on X, “I condemn the ongoing attacks in the strongest possible terms. “

“Iran must stop its attacks immediately” because it is “leading the region further into the abyss,” she said.

● France

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier said today that he is concerned about the “escalation” of the situation.

“The situation in the East and the Middle East is deteriorating, tensions are rising, attacks are going on and there seems to be a direct conflict between Iran and Israel,” Barnier told parliament, says the situation in the Middle East is “very serious.”

● UK

British Prime Minister Keir Starme condemned Iran’s attack on Israel “in the strongest terms” today, his office said.

In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Schkel “expressed the UK’s strong commitment to Israel’s security and the protection of civilians,” according to his office.

● Canada

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly condemned the attack.

“We have all seen Iran’s attacks on Israel and we unequivocally condemn such actions,” she told reporters in Ottawa, adding that the attacks “will only make the region more (Translator: Liu Wenyu/Verification: Xu Ruicheng)