World reacts to Iran’s missile attacks on Israel

Iran has said it fired dozens of ballistic missiles at important military and security targets in Israel in response to the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Abbas Nilforoushan.

Iran’s IRGC said that Israel will face “crushing” attacks if it responds to the missile barrage.

The Israeli military said a “large number” of missiles had been intercepted.

Speaking to reporters, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the attack was serious and will have consequences “in a timely manner”.

Tensions between Israel and Iran have soared since Israel launched an assault on Gaza last October in response to a Hamas-led attack on Israel.

Here is how the world reacted to Iran’s missile attacks on Israel:


Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader

Quoting verses from the Quran, Khamenei seemingly predicted an “imminent divine victory”.

In two separate posts on X, Khamenei said that “righteous people” may have to make sacrifices “but they will not be defeated at the end of the day”.

“They are the victors in the field,” he said in a video showing footage of Iranian missiles being launched.


Masoud Pezeshkian, president of Iran

In a social media post, Pezeshkian said that this attack “was in defence of the interests and citizens of Iran”.

“Let Netanyahu know that Iran is not a belligerent, but it stands firmly against any threat. This is only a corner of our power. Do not enter into a conflict with Iran.”


Hamas

The Palestinian group Hamas praised the Iranian missile strikes.

“We congratulate the heroic rocket launch carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran, on large areas of our occupied territories, in response to the occupation’s continuing crimes against the peoples of the region, and in retaliation for the blood of our nation’s heroic martyrs,” the group said.


Mohammed Abdulsalam, spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthis

Abdulsalam welcomed the Iranian military operation, which he said shows support for Palestine and challenges Israel’s hegemony in the region.

“Deterring the Zionist entity and confronting it is the only way to reign it in and prevent it from escalating its barbaric crime against the Lebanese and Palestinian people and the rest of the region,” he said in a social media post.


Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee

The group, comprised of Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups, said US bases in Iraq will be targeted if Washington decides to support Israel in attacking Iran.

“If the Americans intervene in any hostile action against the Islamic Republic or if the Zionist enemy uses Iraqi airspace to carry out any bombing operations on its territory, then all American bases and interests in Iraq and the region will be our target,” the group said on the Telegram messaging app.


Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister

Netanyahu has vowed retaliation, saying Iran “will pay” for its actions.

“Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it,” he said at the outset of a political-security meeting.

“The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies.

“We will adhere to the principle we have set: Whoever attacks us, we will attack them. This is true in every region we fight the Axis of Evil and it is true for Iran as well.”


Danny Danon, Israel’s representative at the United Nations

In a post on X,  Danon said Israel is “ready and prepared defensively and offensively”.


Israel Katz, Israeli foreign minister

Katz has said that “the Ayatollah regime has crossed the red line.”

“The State of Israel will not remain silent in the face of Iran’s brutal attack on our citizens.”


Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli finance minister

Smotrich has said that “like Gaza, Hezbollah and the state of Lebanon, Iran will regret the moment.

“We will take all necessary measures to protect the citizens of Israel,” he wrote. “As we have previously made clear to the international community, any enemy that attacks Israel should expect a severe response.”


Benny Gantz, Israeli opposition lawmaker

“The attack tonight, despite US warning – must be met with not only a forceful Israeli response – but a larger, coordinated regional one,” Gantz said.


Antonio Guterres, United Nations secretary-general

Guterres condemned the “broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation” and called again for a ceasefire.

“This must stop,” he said in a post on X.



Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser

Iran’s ballistic missile assault on Israel was “defeated and ineffective”, the White House said, warning that Tehran could expect severe consequences for the attacks.

“Based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective,” Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters.



Antony Blinken, US secretary of state

Iran’s missile attack on Israel was “totally unacceptable” and should be condemned by the entire world, Blinken told reporters.


“Initial reports suggest that Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, effectively defeated this attack,” he added.



Keir Starmer, UK prime minister

Starmer condemned Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel “in the strongest terms”, his office said.

During a call with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, Starmer also “expressed the UK’s steadfast commitment to Israeli security and the protection of civilians”, according to a readout of the call from Starmer’s office.


Charles Michel, President of the European Council

The EU Council chief has condemned Iran’s attack against Israel and said it “is a threat to regional security.”

“The deadly escalatory spiral in the Middle East must stop now. A regional war is in no one’s interest,” he said in a post on X.



Pedro Sanchez, Spanish prime minister and Jose Manuel Albares, Spanish foreign minister

Sanchez condemned Iran’s attack on Israel and called for an end to the “spiral of violence” blighting the Middle East, while the foreign minister demanded “restraint”.

“The Spanish government condemns Iran’s attack against Israel and asks that the spiral of violence end,” Sanchez posted on X, as Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Cadena Ser radio that Madrid was issuing “a new call to all the actors, obviously including Israel, to show restraint and not escalation”.



Gaza

Footage posted online showed people in the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip using their mobile phones to capture images of the missiles overhead and also erupting in celebrations.

Nearly a year of relentless Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed more than 41,600 people and wounded almost 100,000, according to Palestinian authorities, with thousands still missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings.


Beirut

Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari said people were celebrating the Iranian attack in the Lebanese capital.

“We’ve heard it since the news broke of Iran’s attack on Israel. Nonstop gunfire and fireworks are being set off across the capital,” she said.

“Supporters of Hezbollah are celebrating Iran’s launch of the second attack in the country’s history since the 1979 revolution.”



Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies