Attack brings Israel, Iran to brink of war as leaders urge restraint

Iran's direct and unprecedented attack on Israel brought the two nations to the verge of war on Sunday, as leaders around the world called for de-escalation amid fears of all-out war spreading in the Middle East.

US President Joe Biden and the leaders of the seven leading democratic industrialized countries (G7) condemned Iran's attack in the strongest possible terms on Sunday and underlined their full support for Israel's security.

"With its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilization of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided," they said in a statement.

Later, the UN Security Council was due to hold an emergency meeting in New York.

For the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic, Iran directly attacked its nemesis Israel in the overnight barrage of drones and missiles. The attack was retaliation for the killing of high-ranking Iranian officers in Syria, in a suspected Israeli airstrike on April 1.

Of the 170 unmanned missiles and more than 30 cruise missiles launched by Iran, none reached Israel, according to the Israeli military, saying it successfully repelled the attack, aided by the US, Britain, France and Jordan.

A 7-year-old Bedouin girl was seriously injured in the Negev desert, but otherwise there was only minor damage to property in Israel and Israeli and regional airspace reopened on Sunday morning.

Nonetheless, Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the attack a "declaration of war."

Israel is now carefully considering its next steps, Foreign Minister Israel Katz said earlier in an interview with the Israeli army radio station.

"We have said: if Iran attacks Israel, we will attack Iran. And this commitment is still valid," Katz said.

He later said Iran must pay a price in calls with his British counterpart David Cameron and France's Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné.

He told them that it was time for them to weaken the Iranian regime, Katz wrote on the social media platform X on Sunday evening.

This included classifying the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation and imposing strict sanctions on Iran's missile programme.

Others in Israel called for a regional coalition to counter Iran.

Iran will be made to pay the price for its attack on Israel "as and when it suits us," Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, said on Sunday.

Israel's war cabinet was weighing a response on Sunday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We shot down, we slowed down. Together we will win," in a post on X.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) had "taught a lesson" to Israel and he warned against counterattacks.

"We carried out an operation of limited scope and size against the Zionist regime," said commander Hussein Salami, according to the Tasnim news agency.

He said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had decided to deal with Israel differently in future. "This new equation means that from now on, whenever the Zionist regime attacks our interests, properties, individuals and citizens, we will retaliate from the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.

Up until now, Iran has primarily relied on allied, non-state actors in Arab countries.

Western leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attack, while Beijing broke its relative silence on the conflict in the Middle East to express "deep concern."

Biden spoke to Netanyahu on the phone, condemning the attack and reaffirming Washington's "ironclad commitment" to Israel's security.

Biden also told Netanyahu the US would join in any "offensive operations against Iran," according to a US media report.

Scholz, currently in China, condemned the attack and he and other German lawmakers likewise assured Israel of their solidarity.

Von der Leyen said the G7 would continue its efforts to stabilize the situation and said the group would also discuss further sanctions on Iran, particularly its drone and missile programmes.

EU foreign ministers are due to meet on Tuesday for talks to further stabilize the situation. "Our objective is to contribute to de-escalation and security of the region," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also called for de-escalation in a call with his Iranian counterpart Hussein Amirabdollahian, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported, citing diplomats.

Syria said Iranian retaliation for the strike on its consulate in Damascus was a "legitimate right," state media reported.

Meanwhile the Russian and Iranian foreign ministers warned of "new dangerous provocations" after a call, saying these could increase tensions in the region.