UNITED NATIONS, United States: The UN Security Council is going to meet in an emergency session today (Sunday) over Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel, said the body’s president.
A spokesperson for Malta, which holds the rotating presidency this month, told the media Saturday evening that the Council was aiming for the meeting to be held at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT) the following day, at Israel’s request.
Meanwhile, nations across the globe condemned Iran’s strikes on Israel late Saturday, warning the attack threatened to further destabilise the Middle East region.
Here are some of the main reactions so far:
United States
US President Joe Biden spoke of an “ironclad” support for Israel in an urgent meeting with top US security officials.
“I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran’s attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” Biden said on X, also posting a picture of the meeting in the White House Situation Room.
UK
Rishi Sunak, UK Prime Minister, in a statement condemned what he said the reckless strikes, which he said “risk inflaming tensions and destabilising the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard.”
EU
In a message on X, Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, condemned the Iran strikes as “an unprecedented escalation and a grave threat to regional security”.
UN
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, condemned “the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran”.
“I am deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation,” he added, calling on parties to “avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East”.
Egypt
Foreign ministry of Cairo expressed its “deep concern” at the escalation of hostilities and called for “maximum restraint”.
In a statement, the ministry also warned of the “risk of the regional expansion of the conflict”, as it added that Egypt would be “in direct contact with all parties to the conflict to try and contain the situation”.
Saudi Arabia
In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry voiced its concern at the “military escalation” and urged “all parties to exercise utmost restraint and spare the region and its peoples from the dangers of war”.
The ministry called on the UN Security Council “to assume its responsibility towards maintaining international peace and security”.
France
In a post on X, Foreign Minister of France Stephane Sejourne said that “in deciding to take this unprecedented action, Iran has reached a new level in its acts of destabilisation and is risking a military escalation”.
Germany
Berlin’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also warned the attack would have a destabilising effect, and urged Iran to stop the strikes.
“We condemn the ongoing attack — which could plunge an entire region into chaos — in the strongest possible terms,” the top envoy said on X.
“Iran and its proxies must stop this immediately,” she continued, adding that Berlin stands “firmly by Israel”.
Canada
Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau told media in Ottawa that his country “unequivocally condemns Iran’s airborne attacks”, adding: “We stand with Israel.”
“After supporting Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack, the Iranian regime’s latest actions will further destabilise the region and make lasting peace more difficult,” he added.
Argentina
Argentine President Javier Milei expressed its “solidarity and unwavering commitment” to Israel in the face of the attacks.
The office of the president in a statement said that Argentina “emphatically supports the State of Israel in the defence of its sovereignty, especially against regimes that promote terror”, noting an Argentine court recently held Iran responsible for bomb attacks on the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires in the 1990s.
Italy
Antonio Tajani, Foreign Minister of Italy said his country was following the situation “with attention and concern” and was “ready to manage any kind of scenario”.
Mexico
Mexico’s government condemned the use of force in world relations and called on the parties to use self-restraint and seek solutions peacefully to avoid a wider regional conflict.
