Israel, Iran urged to use restraint by world leaders, amid concerns of a regional war

Israel’s pre-dawn airstrikes on military targets in Iran in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic republic fired on Israel earlier this month were met with mixed reactions both at home and abroad.

Explosions were heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, though Iran insisted the strikes caused only “limited damage” and Iranian state-run media downplayed the attacks.

The strikes risk pushing the archenemies closer to all-out war at a time of spiraling violence across the Middle East, where militant groups backed by Iran — including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — are already at war with Israel.

The United States, which was given advanced warning of the attacks, urged against further retaliation, while Britain and Germany said Iran should not respond.

“As the Israelis have stated, their response was an exercise in self-defense and specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, contrary to Iran’s attack against Israel that targeted Israel’s most populous city,” Sean Savett, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said in a statement, adding: “It is our aim to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region. We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation.”

President Biden told reporters on Saturday that Israel gave him a heads-up before the strikes, and said it looked like “they didn’t hit anything but military targets.” Mr. Biden said he had just finished a call with intelligence officials.

“I hope this is the end,” he said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at the Commonwealth Summit in Samoa, said Iran should not respond to Israeli airstrikes and urged all sides to show restraint.

“This is a live situation, and we are obviously monitoring it closely alongside our partners,” Starmer said. “We need to avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to show restraint. Iran should not respond. We will continue to work with allies to de-escalate the situation across the region.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general said: “All acts of escalation are condemnable and must stop.”

At home, Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, criticized the decision to avoid “strategic and economic targets,” saying on X that “we could and should have exacted a much heavier price from Iran.”

Saudi Arabia was one of multiple countries in the region condemning the strike, calling it a violation of Iran’s “sovereignty and a violation of international laws and norms.” Its foreign ministry rejected the escalation in the region.

In a statement on Facebook, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it “condemns all actions that threaten the security and stability of the region … “

It said a cease-fire deal in Gaza “is the sole means to de-escalate” tensions in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Turkey accused Israel of having “brought our region to the brink of a greater war” following its strikes on Iran.

“Putting an end to the terror created by Israel in the region has become a historic duty in terms of establishing international security and peace,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It called on the international community to take “immediate action to enforce the law and stop the Netanyahu government.”

Following the airstrikes, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it had a right to self-defense, and “considers itself entitled and obligated to defend against foreign acts of aggression.”

In a carefully worded statement on Saturday, Iran’s military appeared to suggest that a cease-fire “to prevent the killing of the helpless and oppressed people” in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon trumps any retaliation against Israel.

While still saying it held the right to retaliate, the statement from Iran’s military suggests Tehran may be trying to find an off-ramp to further escalation in the war after Israel’s attack early Saturday morning. Iran has raised the death toll from Israel’s attack to four and said all served in the country’s military air defense.

After the strikes, the streets in Iran’s capital were calm and children went to school and shops opened as usual. The only sign of concern was long lines at the gas stations — a regular occurrence in Tehran when military violence flares as people stock up on fuel.

Israel and Iran have been bitter foes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel considers Iran its greatest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their support for anti-Israel militant groups and the country’s nuclear program.

During their yearslong shadow war, a suspected Israeli assassination campaign has killed top Iranian nuclear scientists, and Iranian nuclear installations have been hacked or sabotaged.