Russia Responds to Israel's Strikes on Iran: ‘Full-Scale War' Possible
Israel launched a series of airstrikes across Iran early Friday, targeting critical nuclear facilities and military infrastructure in what appears to be one of the most significant assaults on Iranian soil since the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s.
Iran's foreign minister said the strikes were "tantamount to a declaration of war" in a letter to the United Nations, Iranian state media reported.
Konstantin Kosachev, vice-speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament, made clear that Russia would stand by its ally, Iran.
"Israel's actions cannot be justified from a legal, political, military or moral point of view. The only hope, albeit illusory, of avoiding a full-scale war is a consolidated condemnation of this operation by the international community," he said, according to Russia's official TASS news agency.
"We can and must hope for another demonstration of restraint from Iran. One must always hope for the best, but naturally there are limits to [Iran's] patience."
He added that the "vicious circle of escalation is rapidly spiraling upward."
"Netanyahu said that Israel struck 'at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment program.' In reality, there are many more strikes … And the most unfortunate thing is that this is not the end of the story. An Iranian response to Israel is inevitable, the vicious circle of escalation is rapidly spiraling upward," he said.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said: "Russia is concerned about the developments and condemns this sharp escalation."
At least two senior Iranian military commanders were killed in the attack, along with several key nuclear scientists, according to Iranian state media.
The strikes mark a dramatic escalation in the long-simmering shadow conflict between the two regional adversaries and have reignited fears of a broader Middle East war.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed "severe punishment" for Israel in a televised address.
Air-raid sirens were activated across Israeli cities as a precautionary measure amid heightened alert levels, underscoring the volatile aftermath of the cross-border confrontation.
This is a breaking news story-more to follow.
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