ROME
\nG7 leaders offered their full support for Israel on Sunday following an attack by Iran, and said they were ready to \u201ctake further measures\u201d in response to \u201cfurther destabilising initiatives.\u201d
\nIn a statement following a video meeting, the leaders of the Group of Seven powers said they \u201cunequivocally condemn in the strongest terms Iran\u2019s direct and unprecedented attack against Israel.\u201d
\n\u201cWe express our full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirm our commitment toward its security,\u201d they said, in the statement published by the Italian G7 presidency.
\n\u201cWith its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilization of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided.
\n\u201cWe will continue to work to stabilize the situation and avoid further escalation.
\n\u201cIn this spirit, we demand that Iran and its proxies cease their attacks, and we stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilising initiatives.\u201d
\nEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a separate statement: \u201cGoing forward we will reflect on additional sanctions against Iran in close cooperation with our partners. Specifically on its drone and missile programs.\u201d
\nIran launched the attack, its first ever to directly target Israeli territory, in retaliation for a deadly air strike widely blamed on Israel that destroyed its consular building in Syria\u2019s capital early this month.
\nThe attack came as the Israel-Hamas war raged in besieged Gaza.
\nThe G7 \u2014 which groups the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada \u2014 also said Sunday they would step up efforts to end that crisis.
\n\u201cWe will also strengthen our cooperation to end the crisis in Gaza, including by continuing to work toward an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas, and deliver increased humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need,\u201d they said.
\nThe Israel-Hamas war began with an unprecedented October 7 attack by the militant group against Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
\nIsrael\u2019s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,729 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory\u2019s Hamas-run health ministry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ROME G7 leaders offered their full support for Israel on Sunday following an attack by Iran, and said they were ready to \u201ctake further measures\u201d in response to \u201cfurther destabilising initiatives.\u201d In a statement following a video meeting, the leaders of the Group of Seven powers said they \u201cunequivocally condemn in the strongest terms Iran\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":400343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-400320","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n