(UPDATE) COUNTRIES around the world condemned Iran's missile strikes on Israel late Saturday, warning the attack threatened to further destabilize the Middle East.

Iran on Sunday urged Israel not to retaliate militarily to the unprecedented attack, which Tehran said was a justified response to a deadly Israeli strike on its consulate building in Damascus on April 1.

"The matter can be deemed concluded," Iran's mission to the United Nations said in a post on social media platform X just a few hours after the start of the operation late Saturday.

"However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran's response will be considerably more severe," the Iranian mission warned.

No Iranian leaders have spoken out yet to justify the attack, which marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israeli territory.

Israel's army said it had shot 99 percent of the 300 Iranian drones and missiles with the help of the United States and other allies, declaring Iran's attack "foiled."

But regional tensions remain high amid fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counterstrike. US President Joe Biden said he would convene a meeting of the Group of Seven advanced democracies on Sunday "to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran's brazen attack."

The language indicated that the Biden administration does not want Iran's assault to spiral into a broader military conflict.

Israel said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles early Sunday.

The two foes have for years been engaged in a shadow war marked by incidents like the Damascus strike. But Sunday's assault, which set off air raid sirens across Israel, marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Read The Rest at :