ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - World leaders urged Tel Aviv and Tehran to exhibit restraint following reports of an alleged Israeli attack on Iran early Friday morning that sparked concerns of an impending escalation of violence in the region.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, currently in the southern Italian island of Capri for a meeting of the G7, which Italy presides over this year, urged “absolute de-escalation” in a post on X. He said he was closely monitoring developments of the situation in Iran and that it would be discussed in a meeting of foreign ministers of the G7 nations.
In a press conference following the meeting he said, “The political objective of the G7 is de-escalation. We have worked on, we are working and we will continue to work on and to be active protagonists towards a de-escalation in the whole Middle East.”
Early on Friday morning, reports emerged of explosions in the skies over a central Iranian city where several key nuclear sites are located, days after Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on Israel in retaliation for the deadly strike on its embassy in Damascus on April 1, which Tehran blamed on Tel Aviv.
United States media reported that the explosions over Isfahan were the result of an Israeli missile strike. Tasnim news, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), however, said that “no missile attack” had taken place. Iran’s national space agency spokesperson Hossein Dalirian said on X that “several micro-drones” had been shot down by the country’s air defense and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that nuclear facilities were not damaged.
Flights over several cities, including the Iranian capital city of Tehran resumed only a short time after they were temporarily halted due to activation of the air defenses.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference in Capri that Washignton was "not involved in any offensive operation," adding that he would not comment on the “reported events,” and reiterating the G7’s call for de-escalation.
In the hours following the explosions in Iran, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister published a post on X in Hebrew apparently in reaction to the reported strike that The Times of Israel translated to “lame,” or “feeble.”
European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated in a post on X following the end of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting that “The G7 calls once again all actors to show maximum restraint,” adding that “We have to stop the war in Gaza and avoid it expands to the rest of the region.”
The G7 foreign ministers’ final communique harshly condemned Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on Israel on Saturday, reiterating that “Israel and its people have our full solidarity and support and we reaffirm our commitment towards Israel’s security.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has in recent months been extremely critical of what he has described as Israel’s “disproportionate response” to the attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, stated on X that “We must avoid any action that would lead to an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East,” adding that “The gravity of the moment demands responsibility and restraint from all parties.”
Sanchez also noted that “The objective must always be peace and avoid any path that leads to more confrontation.”
“The war must end,” he said, calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire and implementation of the two-state solution.
Oman, which is a frequent mediator between Iran and Western nations, including brokering a prisoner swap and hosting secret talks between US and Iranian officials late last year according to reports by the Wall Street Journal, also called for de-escalation, strongly condemning what it described as an “Israeli attack” on Iran.
A statement on the website of Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said that the Sultanate of Oman is following the continuing tension in the region, and condemns the Israeli attack this morning on Isfahan in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It also condemns and denounces Israel’s repeated military attacks in the region.”
Beijing and Moscow have also echoed calls for de-escalation, according to reports by AFP.
Seven members of the IRGC, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the Quds Force (IRGC-QF) head in Syria and Lebanon, were killed in the strike that hit the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus at the beginning of the month. Since the attack, Iranian leaders and officials repeatedly vowed to retaliate, ultimately doing so late on Saturday, when Iran launched over 300 projectiles, including drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles, toward Israel in a massive direct aerial assault on the country.
The chief of staff of Israeli Defence Forces on Monday said Tel Aviv would respond to Tehran’s attack. "This launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs into the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response," said army chief General Herzi Halevi, addressing troops at a military base that was targeted by Iran.
"We will do whatever is necessary to protect the State of Israel, and we will do it at the opportunity and the time we will choose," said Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari in a separate statement.