Israel-Iran conflict: Iran's foreign minister rejects calls for restraint amid military escalation

Israel-Iran conflict: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday (Jun 13) rejected calls on Tehran to show restraint after a deadly attack by Israel on the Islamic republic.

According to a statement released by the Iranian foreign ministry, Araghchi “rejected calls for Iran to show restraint in the face of Israeli aggression” in call with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Iran crossed “red lines” by targeting civilian areas in a missile attack on Friday (Jun 13). This comes in retaliation after Israel launched several strikes on the Islamic republic.

“Iran has crossed red lines by daring to fire missiles at civilian population centres in Israel,” Katz said in a statement. “We will continue to defend the citizens of Israel and ensure that the Ayatollah regime pays a very heavy price for its heinous actions.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Iranians to stand up against what he called an “evil and oppressive regime.”

“The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around its flag and its historic legacy, by standing up for your freedom from the evil and oppressive regime,” Netanyahu said in a video address on Friday.

He described the offensive, named Operation Rising Lion, as “one of the greatest military operations in history.”

Israel on early Friday hit dozens of locations across Iran, including nuclear sites. The strike killed four senior Iranian officers, including Major General Mohammad Bagheri and Major General Hossein Salami.

Iranian media reported that six nuclear scientists and 78 civilians, including women and children, also lost their lives. Dozens more were injured in the attacks.

Following the deadly strike, Iran called the attack “a declaration of war” and launched more than 100 drones at Israel in retaliation. Most of these were intercepted by Israel’s air defence systems. However, a second wave of missile attacks managed to hit Israeli cities.

Reports suggest around 40 people were taken to hospitals in Israel, with two of them in critical condition.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed the strikes, adding that most of the missiles were intercepted or did not reach their targets.

“There are a limited number of buildings that were hit, some due to shrapnel from interception operations,” he added.