The Israeli military launched attacks on military bases in Iran, hitting about 20 locations in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran over several hours.

Iran confirmed that Saturday's attacks targeted military bases but caused only “limited damage.” The barrage marked an escalation in ongoing tensions between the two countries.

The Israeli army announced the operation was complete, and military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel was “obliged to respond” if Iran retaliated.

Iran's air defense headquarters said the “aggressive action was successfully intercepted and countered by the country's integrated air defense system.”

Here are some global reactions:

United States

“We call on Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told reporters.

“Their response was an exercise in self-defense and explicitly avoided populated areas and focused exclusively on military targets, in stark contrast to Iran's attack on Israel, which targeted Israel's most populous city,” he added.

He stressed that the US had not taken part in the operation and said: “It is our goal to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region.”

A senior White House official said the Biden administration believes the Israeli operation should “end” direct military exchanges between Israel and Iran. US President Joe Biden has been kept informed about the development of the Israeli operation and the attacks carried out by the Israelis, the official said.

Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder posted on

Saudi Arabia

The State Department condemned the military's attacks on Iran as a “violation of its sovereignty” and international law and called on all parties to “exercise utmost restraint and reduce escalation.”

The ministry said in a statement: “The Kingdom reiterates its firm position in its opposition to the continued escalation in the region and the expansion of the conflict, which threatens the security and stability of the countries and peoples of the region.”

In recent months, relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have improved with high-level meetings between officials from both sides.

In 2023, under an agreement reached in China, the two countries agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies.

Iraq

Israel “continues its aggressive policies and the expansion of the conflict in the region, using blatant acts of aggression without deterrence,” the prime minister's office said in a statement.

It said Iraq “reaffirms its firm stance and calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as comprehensive regional and international efforts to support stability in the region.”

Hamas

The Palestinian group said it condemned “Zionist aggression” against Iran.

“We consider it a blatant violation of Iranian sovereignty and an escalation aimed at the security of the region and the security of its peoples, holding the occupation fully responsible for the effects of this US-backed aggression.”

United Kingdom

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Iran should not respond to a wave of Israeli attacks and urged all sides to exercise restraint.

“I realize that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. It is also clear to me that we must avoid further regional escalation and call on all sides to exercise restraint. “Iran should not react,” he told a news conference in Samoa, where he was attending a meeting of Commonwealth leaders.

Pakistan

Israeli military strikes “against the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Iran “constitute a serious violation of the UN Charter and international law,” the State Department said.

The attacks “undermine the path to peace and stability in the region and also represent a dangerous escalation in an already unstable region,” the ministry statement said, adding that “Israel bears full responsibility for the current cycle of escalation and expansion of the conflict in the region”. .

It also called on the United Nations Security Council “to assume its role in maintaining international peace and security and to take immediate action to put an end to Israel's recklessness in the region and its criminal behavior.”

United Arab Emirates

The Gulf state condemned the military attacks on Iran and expressed “deep concern about the ongoing escalation and its impact on regional security and stability.”

In a statement, the State Department stressed the “importance of exercising the highest degree of restraint and wisdom to avoid risks and the spread of conflict.”

Malaysia

The State Department called the Israeli attacks a “clear violation of international law” that “seriously undermines regional security.”

It also said: “Malaysia calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to the cycle of violence.”

Israel's ongoing attacks on countries in the Middle East are bringing the region ever closer to the brink of a major war, the ministry statement added.