Israel strikes: Rishi Sunak joins G7 leaders in condemning Iran’s bombardment of Israel ‘in the strongest terms’ after Tehran fires 300 missiles at country in ‘unprecedented attack’ sparking fears of WWIII

Rishi Sunak joined G7 leaders in condemning Iran’s bombardment of Israel after it fired a barrage of 300 missiles at the country in an ‘unprecedented attack’ that sparked fears of World War 3.

The leaders met in a virtual conference this afternoon to coordinate a diplomatic response to Iran’s massive overnight airstrikes on Israel, in which RAF jets were deployed to shoot down drones from Tehran.

The British prime minister condemned Iran’s “reckless” attack “in the strongest terms” as he pledged to “continue to stand up for the security of Israel and all our regional partners”.

‘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 action now and in response to further destabilizing initiatives,” the G7 said in a joint statement.

The emergency meeting was organized by Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7, and took place at 2 p.m., Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said.

The statement added: Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel. Israel, with the help of its partners, defeated the attack.

‘We express our full solidarity and support for Israel and its people and reaffirm our commitment to its security.

‘With its actions, Iran has gone further towards destabilizing the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided.

‘We will also strengthen our cooperation to end the crisis in Gaza, including by continuing to work towards an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and the release of hostages from Hamas, and providing increased humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need.’

Sunak was also joined by US President Joe Biden on the call amid fears of further escalation in the event of a potential Israeli counterattack.

The Iranian attack, in response to a suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s embassy in Damascus on April 1, raised the threat of a wider regional conflict.

Britain was one of several countries, including the US, which helped counter Iran’s bombardment – in its first ever direct attack on Israeli soil.

Additional RAF jets were deployed over Iraq and Syria, not Israel, the Ministry of Defense said.

Speaking to reporters in Downing Street, Sunak said that if Iran had been successful in its attack, it would be difficult to overestimate regional stability.

He did not confirm how many Iranian drones were shot down by British forces.

Attack drones were intercepted by the RAF jets in Syrian and Iraqi airspace – but the MoD did not clarify how many British Typhoons were airborne.

However, they assured that the RAF would cancel ‘any airborne attack within range’ of its operations in the area.

Sunak was not alone in his efforts, as President Biden also confirmed that the US military had helped Israel shoot down ‘almost all’ of Iran’s drones and missiles.

But Tehran has already threatened a ‘heavier’ response if Washington cooperates with further Israeli military action against it.

Jordan also played a role in the decisive intercepts, as its military shot down a number of missiles as they flew through Jordanian airspace.

Sunak said it was clear Iran was ‘determined to sow discontent and destabilize the region, its own backyard’.

He also pledged to continue offering support for Israel’s security.

“We will work with our allies to de-escalate the situation and I look forward to speaking with the G7 leaders this afternoon,” he said ahead of this afternoon’s meeting.

The G7 groups USA, Canada, Italy, Great Britain, France, Germany and Japan.

Its foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on April 17-19 on the Italian island of Capri.

The urgent talks come after Iran fired hundreds of aerial drones and cruise missiles at Israel overnight Saturday and Sunday in a massive retaliatory strike.

Iran claimed that the heavy bombardment by Israel is a response to the April 1 airstrike on an Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital Damascus, which killed 12 Iranians and two senior commanders.

Iran has blamed Israel for the airstrike, but the country has not yet confirmed carrying out what Iran has called ‘Operation True Promise’.

The attack began on Saturday around 8pm and lasted about five hours, according to US officials.

During the attack, explosions were heard across cities in Israel, including Tel Aviv and were even heard in Jerusalem as air raid sirens blared over 720 locations.

Israel’s top military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said Iran’s attack involved more than 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones and more than 30 cruise missiles, according to reports.

A seven-year-old girl was also seriously injured by missile fragments, while other patients suffered minor injuries and some were treated for anxiety.

The attack also came as the latest attempt to reach a ceasefire in the war in Gaza appeared to be faltering, with Israel accusing Hamas of rejecting a ceasefire proposal.

Earlier today, Israel showed its first signs of retaliation after leveling a building in eastern Lebanon and vowing a response to Iran’s attack.

A source in Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group said today that Israel hit one of its buildings close to the Syrian border.

The source told AFP news agency: ‘The Israeli strike targeted an area … near Baalbek and targeted a two-storey building belonging to Hezbollah’, adding that no casualties were reported.

But speaking to the media this evening, an Israeli military spokesman warned that major plans for both offensive and defensive action have been approved following last night’s attack by Iran.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “Hamas and Iran want to ignite the Middle East and escalate in the region,” adding that the IDF remains “on high alert” and “assessing the situation”.

He continues: ‘During the last two hours we have approved operational plans for both offensive and defensive action.

‘We will continue to protect the State of Israel and together with our partners we will continue to build a more secure and stable future for the entire Middle East’.