Iran warned the United States not to respond to its attack on Israel, as the confrontation between the two-arch foes spilled over into the region, and the Jewish state weathered its first direct drone and missile attack from Tehran early Sunday morning.
"Our response will be much larger than tonight's military action if Israel retaliates against Iran," armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri told state TV, adding that Tehran warned Washington that any backing of Israeli retaliation would result in US bases being targeted.
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, also warned Tehran would retaliate against any Israeli attack on its interests, officials or citizens.
“From now on, if the Zionist regime attacks our interests, assets, figures, and citizens at any point, it will face counterattack from within the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Salami said, according to Press TV.
Iran’s mission to the UN in New York stated in a post on X early Sunday morning that this “is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the US MUST STAY AWAY!.”
Iran’s foreign ministry summoned on Sunday the ambassadors of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to question what it referred to as their "irresponsible stance" regarding Tehran's retaliatory strikes on Israel, the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency reported.
The director for Western Europe at Iran's foreign ministry accused the three countries of "double standard.”
”Iran's military action against the Zionist regime's (Israel) bases is well within the framework of the right to legitimate defense stipulated in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and it is in response to a series of crimes, including the recent attack on the embassy compound in Syria," the Iranian official added.
All three countries issued statements condemning Iran’s attack on Israel, which Tehran said was a direct response to an Israeli strike in Damascus on April 1, which killed seven army officers.
Israel working with coalition of military forces
Most of the drones and missiles in Sunday’s attack were shot out of the sky by a coalition of armed forces from the United States, Jordan, Great Britain, and Israel.
The attack marked a turning point in Iran’s war on Israel, which, to date, has been primarily carried out by its proxy groups, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
US President Joe Biden has said that he condemned the Iranian attack “in the strongest possible terms” as he explained that the American army had helped Israel down Iran’s drones and missiles.
Israel had wide support for its defensive actions against Iran, even as its allies expressed concern over what steps it might take in retaliation. Israel's war cabinet and security cabinet met late Saturday night and into early Sunday morning to discuss those measures.
Biden said he planned to discuss the attack with the G7 countries on Sunday. The G7 is composed of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The EU is also a participant.
Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7, called a video meeting Sunday afternoon of the G7, as he warned about regional destabilization in a post on X. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he hoped that the Israeli government would show restraint in its response.
"I hope that the Israeli government will adopt a cautious line. I hope that there will be no counterattack to the counterattack," Tajani told radio station RTL 102.5.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted on X Sunday that the Iranian attack was “unjustifiable and highly irresponsible. Iran risks a further escalation in the region. Germany stands by Israel, and we will discuss the situation with our allies.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Sunday Israel had shown that it was strong and could defend itself by repelling an Iranian attack overnight together with strong allies.
"Iran is isolated with its aggressive behavior with which it wants to destabilize an entire region," she said. "And Israel's capacities have shown Israel is strong, Israel can protect itself."
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Sunday that he condemned the “unprecedented attack” that “threatens to destabilize the region.
“I express my solidarity with the Israeli people and France's commitment to the security of Israel, our partners, and regional stability,” Macron said.
“France is working on de-escalation with its partners and calls for restraint,” he stressed.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned Iran's "reckless" attack against Israel, which he said showed that it was "intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard."
"These strikes risk inflaming tensions and destabilizing the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard," Sunak said in a statement.
In the Middle East, Jordan's Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh said on Sunday any escalation in the region would lead to "dangerous paths" and said that there was a need to reduce escalation by all parties.
In remarks to the cabinet, Khasawneh said the country's armed forces would confront any attempt by any party that sought to endanger the kingdom's security.
Russia said on Sunday it was extremely concerned by Iranian strikes on Israel and called on all parties to exercise restraint but said tensions would remain high until the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians was resolved.
"We express our extreme concern over another dangerous escalation in the region," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement on the Iranian attacks. "We call on all parties involved to exercise restraint."