G7 countries condemn Iran’s attack on Israel

Leaders of the G7 — the informal gathering of industrialized countries that includes the United States, United Kingdom and France — issued a statement on Sunday “unequivocally condemning in the strongest terms Iran's direct and unprecedented attack against Israel”.

The statement came after the leaders met in a video conference hosted by the Italian presidency.

“Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles towards Israel. Israel, with the help of its partners, defeated the attack,” the statement reads. “We express our full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirm our commitment towards its security.” The group also stressed that Iran “with its actions, has further stepped toward the destabilisation of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation.” The G7 leaders said that scenario must be avoided.

“We will continue to work to stabilize the situation and avoid further escalation. In this spirit, we demand that Iran and its proxies cease their attacks, and we stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilising initiatives,” they said.