Global leaders are urging restraint after Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran early Friday, killing top Iranian military commanders and triggering retaliatory missile attacks that have heightened fears of a broader Middle East conflict.
Among those killed in the Israeli strikes were Iran’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Mohammad Bagheri, and Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami.
“This operation struck at the core of Iran’s nuclear and missile programme,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, confirming the assault under the codename Operation Rising Lion. He defended the strikes as a “necessary step” for national security.
In a swift and forceful response, Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel, wounding at least seven people. Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, declared, “The operation of decisive response to the savage attack of the Zionist regime has begun.”
The Israeli military told CNN that “all of Israel is under fire,” as air raid sirens sounded across the country.
The escalation has prompted widespread international concern. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of a “descent into deeper conflict” and urged both nations to “exercise maximum restraint.”
US President Donald Trump, who said he was briefed before the Israeli strikes, stressed Washington’s commitment to Israel’s defense but added, “We also want peace. Iran must not have a nuclear bomb.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed the call for calm, saying, “Escalation serves no one.”
Russia condemned the Israeli airstrikes, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov calling them “unacceptable.” The Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv advised citizens to leave Israel immediately.
China warned of “severe consequences” if hostilities continue, while France’s President Emmanuel Macron said, “Israel has a right to defend itself, but not at the cost of regional stability.”
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the Israeli assault as a violation of international law, declaring, “The world must stop this lawlessness that threatens global peace.”
The attacks have led to widespread flight cancellations and airspace closures in Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, as global airlines divert routes due to safety concerns.
The renewed hostilities follow months of simmering tensions after the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel, which escalated into a wider regional conflict involving Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels.
