Turkey leads global calls for Israel and Iran to step back from brink

Officials call for restraint and calm fearing regional escalation

Israeli rescuers search in the rubble on Sunday after a retaliatory Iranian strike on Bat Yam. AFP

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Iran conflict

World leaders have warned against further military escalations between Israel and Iran following two days of missile fire between the two countries.

The exchange began when Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Friday, killing top military commanders and nuclear scientists, and striking military bases, nuclear sites and residential areas across the country. Since then, Iran has unleashed a deadly barrage of missile strikes on Israel, leaving at least 10 Israelis dead and dozens more wounded.

Leaders have been speaking to Iranian and Israeli officials and voiced their concerns in an attempt to defuse tensions, fearing a possible regional war. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also spoken to several top Arab leaders during the past 24 hours.

Mr Erdogan told the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, that Israel was looking to “drag the whole region into the fire”. He also told Mr Pezeshkian that Israel’s attacks aimed to divert attention from the conflict in Gaza, a statement from the Turkish presidency said.

In a separate phone call, Mr Erdogan told Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Israel needed “to be stopped”, calling it “the main threat to stability and security in the region”. The issue of Iran’s nuclear programme “can only be resolved through negotiations”, he said.

Deadly strikes hit Israel as Iran renews attacks

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Prince Mohammed separately spoke to Mr Pezeshkian on Saturday to offer his "condemnation and denunciation" of the attacks. He said the kingdom called for "dialogue as the fundamental principle for resolving differences".

Mr Erdogan also spoke with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said Israel's actions were "a blatant violation of international law and a threat to regional peace", according to his office.

They also voiced solidarity with Palestine amid what they described as Israel’s “brazen military aggression,” which they said had continued “with complete impunity.”

Iraq meanwhile called on the US to prevent Israeli aircraft from breaching Iraqi airspace to carry out attacks against Iran, citing bilateral agreements and international law.

“The Iraqi government urges the United States to uphold its responsibilities under the agreements signed between the two countries and prevent aircraft belonging to [Israel] from once again violating Iraqi airspace,” military spokesman Sabah Al Numan said.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also spoke to Mr Pezeshkian on Saturday to express condemnation over the Israeli attack on Iran.

A statement said Qatar considers the attacks a “blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, and a clear breach of the rules and principles of international law”.

Israel carries out strikes on Iran – in pictures

Rescuers work at the scene after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran. AP

Smoke rises after an Israeli strike in Iran's western province of Kermanshah. AFP

A protester carries a poster of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Maj Gen Hossein Salami, who was killed in Israeli strikes, at a demonstration in Tehran's Enqelab Square. Getty Images

Firefighters and volunteers clean up the scene of an explosion at a residential compound, after Israeli attacks in Tehran. AP

A building that caught fire in the Israeli strikes on the Iranian capital. AFP

A wounded man in the aftermath of the Israeli strikes. Reuters

Iran's Revolutionary Guards leader Hossein Salami, shown here in 2023, was killed in the strikes, local media reported. AFP

A building damaged by the Israeli attacks in the north of Tehran. AP

Firefighters put out a blaze at a building hit by the Israeli strikes, in Tehran. Reuters

Smoke from the strikes covers the Iranian capital. AFP

Iranians chant slogans as they attend Friday prayers at Tehran University campus. AP

Firefighters outside a building that was hit by an Israeli strike in Tehran. AFP

Firefighters, rescue workers and security personnel in central Tehran. EPA

People look at a damaged building in Tehran. Reuters

First responders in Tehran. AFP

European reaction

In Europe, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Sunday that Tehran's nuclear programme was a threat to the security of Israel and of Europe. However, he said diplomacy is the only way to avoid an escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

"We always said the best way to prevent that threat, to contain it, remains diplomacy," Mr Barrot told RTL radio.

The UK's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said on Saturday that the UK would deploy more RAF jets to the Middle East after Iran threatened to target British, French and US bases if the countries help stop strikes on Israel.

Mr Starmer said further military assets are being deployed to provide “contingency support” across the region amid escalating hostilities between the two long-time foes.

He said that he wants to see a reduction in tensions in the region.

“My strong position is that this needs to de-escalate, and that is the primary focus of the discussions that I’ve been having,” he told reporters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, focusing on hostilities between Israel and Iran and calling for efforts to bring them to an end.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Mr Putin condemned the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressed concern about the risks of escalation.

Previously, Russian authorities stressed the need for restraint on all sides, signalling deep concern over the ripple effects this conflict may have across the Middle East and beyond.