US, Israel launch strikes on Iran, begin ‘major combat operations’
Countries issued initial reactions following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with responses ranging from expressions of support to calls for restraint and condemnation.
cumhuriyet.com.trSaudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait condemned Iranian attacks targeting them, while Australia and Canada voiced strong support for the US and Israeli attacks.
Spain rejected what it described as “unilateral military action” and called for an end to escalation.
The UK, France and EU representatives urged restraint and a halt to escalatory measures, as Russia denounced the strikes as an “unprovoked armed attack.”
Israeli officials say top Iranian political, military figures targeted in strikes
Israel targeted senior Iranian political and military figures, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian, in the latest strikes, Axios reported Saturday.
A senior US official confirmed to the news outlet that Israel conducted air strikes against Iranian senior commanders and political leaders.
Israel's Channel 12 reported that assessments in Tel Aviv indicated a strong likelihood that Ali Shamkhani, Khamenei's advisor who is responsible for Iran's nuclear program, had been eliminated.
Iran's Foreign Ministry moved quickly to push back on some reports, saying Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in good health.
Iranian authorities issued no official confirmation of any deaths.
At least 40 killed in Israeli strike on girls’ school in southern Iran
At least 40 people, including students, were killed and 48 others injured after Israeli strikes targeted a girls’ primary school in the city of Minab in southern Iran’s Hormozgan province, Iranian media reported on Saturday.
Quoting a provincial official, Iranian broadcaster IRIB said the school was hit during the attacks earlier in the day.
Further details were not immediately available.
Iran accuses US, Israel of violating UN Charter, vows ‘decisive’ response
Iran on Saturday accused the US and Israel of military aggression, calling the strikes a violation of its sovereignty and a breach of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the attacks targeted defense infrastructure and civilian sites in multiple cities and took place while Tehran and Washington were engaged in a diplomatic process.
It stressed that Iran had prioritized diplomacy to prevent war but “the time has now come to defend the homeland,” and that the armed forces would respond in a “decisive and powerful manner.”
Tehran asserted its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter and called on the UN Security Council and the international community to condemn the joint US-Israeli attack and take urgent action.