World reacts to Israeli strike on Iran over nuclear activity

Israel carried out strikes on Iran on Friday, targeting its nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.

Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions including at the country's main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while Israel declared a state of emergency in anticipation of retaliatory missile and drone strikes.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards corps said its top commander, Hossein Salami, was killed and state media reported the unit's headquarters in Tehran had been hit. Several children had been killed in a strike on a residential area in the capital, it said.

"We are at a decisive moment in Israel's history," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video message.

"Moments ago Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that Israel had "unleashed its wicked and bloody" hand in a crime against Iran and that it would receive "a bitter fate for itself".

An Israeli military official said Israel was striking "dozens" of nuclear and military targets including the facility at Natanz in central Iran. The official said Iran had enough material to make 15 nuclear bombs within days.

The United States said it had no part in the operation, which raises the risk of a fresh escalation in tensions in the Middle East, a major oil producing region.

Alongside extensive air strikes, Israel's Mossad spy agency led a series of covert sabotage operations inside Iran, Axios reported, citing a senior Israeli official. These operations were aimed at damaging Iran’s strategic missile sites and its air defence capabilities.

Iranian state media reported that at least two nuclear scientists, Fereydoun Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi were killed in Israeli strikes in Tehran.

Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel's air defence units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.

"Following the pre-emptive strike by the State of Israel against Iran, a missile and UAV (drone) attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate time frame," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said tens of thousands of soldiers had been called up and "prepared across all borders".

"We are amidst a historic campaign unlike any other. This is a critical operation to prevent an existential threat, by an enemy who is intent on destroying us," he said.

Israeli Minister Gideon Saar was holding a "marathon of calls" with counterparts around the world regarding Israel's attack on Iran, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

US "not involved"

US President Donald Trump would convene a meeting of the National Security Council on Friday morning, the White House said. Trump said on Thursday an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen" but reiterated his hopes for a peaceful resolution.

The US military is planning for the full range of contingencies in the Middle East, including the possibility that it might have to help evacuate American civilians, a US official told Reuters.

Iran's armed forces spokesperson said Israel and its chief ally the United States, would pay a "heavy price" for the attack, accusing Washington of providing support for the operation.

While the US tried to distance itself from Israel's military operation, an Israeli official told public broadcaster Kan that Israel had coordinated with Washington on Iran.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was not involved in the strikes and Tel Aviv had acted unilaterally for self-defence.

"We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," Rubio said in a statement.

"Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel," he added.

The State Department issued an advisory saying that all US government employees in Israel and their family members should "shelter in place until further notice".

The attacks triggered sharp falls in stock prices in Asian trade on Friday, led by a selloff in US futures, while oil prices jumped as investors scurried to safe havens such as gold and the Swiss franc.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned any military escalation in the Middle East, said deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq.

"The Secretary-General asks both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford," Haq said.

Nuclear talks

US and Iranian officials were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran's escalating uranium enrichment programme in Oman on Sunday, according to officials from both countries and their Omani mediators.

A US official said those talks were still scheduled to proceed despite the Israeli attack.

The Israeli military said on Friday that it was forced to act based on new intelligence information showing that Iran was "approaching the point of no return" in the development of a nuclear weapon.

"In recent months, this program has accelerated significantly, bringing the regime significantly closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon," it said in a statement, without disclosing the purported evidence.

A source familiar with US intelligence reports said there had been no recent change in the US intelligence assessment that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and that Khamenei had not authorised the restarting of the nuclear weapons programme that was shuttered in 2003.

Oman, a mediator in the Iran-US nuclear talks, said the Israeli attack "threatens to eliminate diplomatic solutions and undermine security and stability of the region", according to the Omani state news agency.

Here are some reactions from top officials and governments around the world:

US SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO
"Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region."
"Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel."

AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER PENNY WONG
"Australia is alarmed by the escalation between Israel and Iran. This risks further destabilising a region that is already volatile. We call on all parties to refrain from actions and rhetoric that will further exacerbate tensions.
"We all understand the threat of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program represents a threat to international peace and security, and we urge the parties to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy."

NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER CHRISTOPHER LUXON
"It's a really unwelcome development in the Middle East. The risk of miscalculation is high. That region does not need any more military action, and risk associated with that."

JAPAN'S CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY YOSHIMASA HAYASHI
"Japan continues to make all necessary diplomatic efforts to prevent the further deterioration of the situation, while implementing every possible measure to ensure the protection of Japanese citizens."

SPOKESPERSON FOR UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES
"The Secretary-General condemns any military escalation in the Middle East. He is particularly concerned by Israeli attacks on nuclear installations in Iran while talks between Iran and the United States on the status of Iran's nuclear programme are underway.
"The Secretary-General asks both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford."

OMAN, WHICH IS MEDIATING IRAN-US NUCLEAR TALKS
"Oman considers this act a dangerous, reckless escalation, representing a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, the principles of international law. Such aggressive, persistent behaviour is unacceptable and further destabilises the regional peace and security."
"The Sultanate of Oman holds Israel responsible for this escalation and its consequences, and calls upon the international community to adopt a firm and unequivocal stance to halt this dangerous course of action."

IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI
"The Zionist regime has committed a crime in our dear country today at dawn with its satanic, bloodstained hands."
"That regime should anticipate a severe punishment. By God’s grace, the powerful arm of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces won’t let them go unpunished."
"With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see."