Iran said it fired dozens of ballistic missiles at key 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 commander (IRGC), Abbas Nilforoushan.
Iran’s IRGC said Israel would face “overwhelming” attacks if it responded to the missile barrage.
The Israeli military said a “large number” of missiles had been intercepted.
Speaking to reporters, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the attack was serious and would have consequences “in due course.”
Tensions between Israel and Iran have increased since Israel launched an attack on Gaza last October in response to a Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Here’s how the world reacted to the Iranian missile attacks on Israel:
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran
Quoting verses from the Quran, Khamenei appears to have predicted an “imminent divine victory.”
In two separate articles on X, Khamenei said that “the righteous” may have to make sacrifices “but they will not be defeated in the end.”
“They are the winners on the ground,” he said in a video showing images of Iranian missile launches.
Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran
In a social media post, Pezeshkian said the attack “aimed to defend Iranian interests and citizens.”
“Let Netanyahu know that Iran is not a belligerent, but strongly opposes any threat. This is only part of our power. Don’t get into conflict with Iran.
Hamas
The Palestinian group Hamas welcomed the Iranian missile strikes.
“We commend the heroic rocket fire carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran, over large areas of our occupied territories, in response to the continued crimes of the occupation against the people of the region and in retaliation for bloodshed heroic heroes of our nation. martyrs,” the group said.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthis
Abdulsalam welcomed the Iranian military operation, which he said demonstrates support for Palestine and challenges Israel’s hegemony in the region.
“Deterring the Zionist entity and confronting it is the only way to control it and prevent it from intensifying its barbaric crimes against the Lebanese and Palestinian people and the rest of the region,” he said in a statement. message published on social networks.
Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee
The group, made up of Iranian-backed Iraqi armed groups, said US bases in Iraq would be targeted if Washington decided to support Israel in its attack on Iran.
“If the Americans intervene in hostile action against the Islamic Republic or if the Zionist enemy uses Iraqi airspace to carry out bombing operations on its territory, then all American bases and interests in Iraq and the region will be ours. target,” the group said. » said on the messaging app Telegram.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahu has promised retaliation, saying Iran will “pay” for its actions.
“Iran made a serious mistake tonight – and it will pay the price,” he said at the start of a political-security meeting.
“The Iranian regime does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies.
“We will respect the principle we have set: whoever attacks us, we will attack. This is true in all regions where we are fighting the Axis of Evil and it is also true for Iran.
Danny Danon, Israel’s representative to the United Nations
In an article on X, Danon said Israel was “ready and prepared defensively and offensively.”
“We will take all necessary measures to protect Israeli citizens,” he wrote. “As we have already made clear to the international community, any enemy who attacks Israel must expect a harsh response. »
Israel Katz, Israeli Foreign Minister
Katz declared 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 said that “like Gaza, Hezbollah and the State of Lebanon, Iran will regret this moment.
Benny Gantz, Israeli opposition lawmaker
“Tonight’s attack, despite the American warning, must be met not only with a forceful Israeli response, but also with a broader, coordinated regional response,” Gantz said.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations
Guterres condemned “the widening conflict in the Middle East with escalation after escalation” and again called for a ceasefire.
“This has to stop,” he said in a post on X.
Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser
Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel was “futile and ineffective”, the White House said, warning that Tehran could expect serious consequences from the attacks.
“Based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective,” Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to US President Joe Biden, told reporters.
Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State
The Iranian missile attack on Israel is “totally unacceptable” and should be condemned by the entire world, Blinken told reporters.
“Early reports suggest that Israel, with active support from the United States and other partners, effectively defeated this attack,” he added.
Keir Starmer, British Prime Minister
Starmer condemned Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel “in the strongest possible terms”, his office said.
In a call with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, Starmer also “expressed the United Kingdom’s unwavering 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 head of the EU Council condemned the Iranian attack on Israel and said it “poses a threat to regional security”.
“The deadly spiral of escalation in the Middle East must end now. A regional war is in no one’s interest,” he said in an article on X.
Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain and José Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain
Sanchez condemned the Iranian attack on Israel and called for an end to the “spiral of violence” ravaging the Middle East, while the foreign minister called for “restraint”.
“The Spanish government condemns Iran’s attack on Israel and demands that the spiral of violence stop,” Sánchez posted on X, while Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Cadena Ser radio that Madrid launched “a new appeal to all actors, including obviously Israel”. , show restraint and not escalation.”
Gaza
Footage posted online showed residents of the besieged and bombed Gaza Strip using their cellphones to capture images of the missiles overhead and also celebrating.
Nearly a year of relentless Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed more than 41,600 people and injured nearly 100,000, according to Palestinian authorities, and thousands are still missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Beirut
Reporting from Beirut, Tel Aviv Tribune’s Dorsa Jabbari said people were celebrating the Iranian attack in the Lebanese capital.
“We have heard it since the announcement of the Iranian attack on Israel. There is incessant gunfire and fireworks all over the capital,” she said.
“Hezbollah supporters celebrate Iran launching the second attack in the country’s history since the 1979 revolution.”
