People gather in support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ attack on Israel on April 14, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. Late on Saturday, Iran launched a direct attack at Israel, about two weeks following the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria.
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The assault only resulted in limited damage, with Israel’s military saying its Iron Dome defense system intercepted 99% of the drones and missiles launched by Iran.
Iran says its air offensive came in response to a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in the Syrian capital of Damascus earlier this month.
“We will not be able to comment on the claims regarding a strike in Damascus,” an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson told CNBC on Sunday.
Ahead of a war cabinet meeting on Monday, Israel has pledged to “exact a price” from Iran in response to the Saturday attack. Analysts have said they are unsure of the exact timing and extent of such a retaliation.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday said that he condemned “in the strongest possible terms” Iran’s unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel.
Biden added that the U.S. “will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people.”
His comments come as some top U.S. officials reportedly worry that Israel may soon respond to Iran’s drone and missile attacks and trigger a wider regional conflict, according to NBC News.
Biden, who affirmed the White House’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security once again over the weekend, has privately expressed concern that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to drag the U.S. into a broader conflict, NBC News reported Sunday, citing three unnamed people familiar with the matter.
CNBC could not independently verify the report.
In South America, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro called on the United Nations to “meet urgently” and “immediately commit to peace.”
“It was predictable; we’re now in the prelude to World War III precisely when humanity should rebuild its economy towards the rapid goal of decarbonization,” Petro said.
“The support of the U.S., in practice, for a genocide, has ignited the world. Everyone knows how wars start, no one knows how they end.”
Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s president, during a meeting with Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s president, not pictured, at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.
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Argentina’s President Javier Milei said his office expressed its “solidarity and unwavering commitment” to Israel following the attacks by Iran.
“The Republic of Argentina recognizes the right of State-Nations to defend themselves and strongly supports the State of Israel in the defense of its sovereignty, in particular against regimes that promote terror and seek the destruction of western civilization,” Milei said.
European leaders castigated Iran’s attack against Israel and vowed to work to de-escalate the situation.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the unprecedented attack launched by Iran against Israel, which threatens to destabilize the region,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday on social media platform X.
“France is working on de-escalation with its partners and calls for restraint.”
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak records a statement about the Iranian attacks on Israel overnight, at 10 Downing Street on April 14, 2024 in London, England.
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Saturday said that Germany “strongly” condemned the attack and warned that it could “plunge an entire region into chaos.”
“Iran and its proxies must stop this immediately. Israel has our full solidarity at this time,” Baerbock said via X, according to an NBC translation.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Saturday that he condemned “in the strongest terms” the “reckless” Iranian attack against Israel, adding that the country would…
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