NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Friday said it was “extremely important” for Israel's allies to work on de-escalating tensions following strikes on Iranian territory, AFP reported.
"I think it's crucial now for many allies, including the United States, to be working, as we speak, on de-escalation. I know they are doing that, and I think that's a priority right now. This was a unilateral action by Israel," Rutte said, speaking alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
According to Rutte, “it is clear that the situation is developing rapidly.”
For his part, Kristersson said there was already a “very serious and tense situation” in the Middle East.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned Israel that a “bitter and painful” fate awaits it in the wake of the strikes, which killed the country's armed forces chief of staff, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and leading nuclear scientists.
The Israeli army later said Iran had retaliated by launching 100 drones toward Israel and that its air defenses had intercepted them outside Israeli territory.
