Latin American Countries Respond to Iran’s Attack on Israel

Following Iran’s drone attack on Israel on Saturday, several Latin American countries expressed concern about the general situation in the Middle East. These are some reactions.

Chile: We express our concern about the serious escalation of tensions in the Middle East and the Iranian attacks against Israel. Chile condemns the use of force and defends international humanitarian law, wrote the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Alberto van Klaveren, on social media.

Mexico: President Andrés Manuel López Obrador noted in a message on his social media account that “I hope the conflict in the Middle East does not escalate.” He added that war is irrational, synonymous with suffering and death. “It benefits no one, not even the magnates and war-mongering rulers. Let us support peace and universal brotherhood. The maxim that politics, among other things, was invented to avoid war should not go into disuse.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also sent a message condemning the use of force in international relations and called on the parties to self-restrain and seek peaceful solutions to avoid the generalization of the conflict in the Middle East.

Argentina: President Javier Milei cut short his trip to Denmark and will fly back to Argentina this Sunday to form a crisis committee in light of the latest events in Israel, the president’s spokesman, Manuel Adorni, wrote. Adorni said that The Milei meeting is to take charge of the situation and coordinate actions with the presidents of the Western world.

Ecuador: The country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it is in contact with its diplomatic staff in the region. Ecuador added that Israel provided security instructions to its diplomatic mission. “We will continue to monitor the situation,” she added.

Honduras: President Xiomara Castro asked the UN to avoid a new war. “All the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have declared ourselves a zone of peace. Today, Honduras offers the United Nations support in order to activate all the necessary mechanisms and avoid a new war in the Middle East, whose consequences would be unpredictable. By respecting international law for the sake of peace and security, we can save Humanity,” he wrote.

Guatemala: The Government of Guatemala, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed its unequivocal condemnation and deep concern about Iran’s attacks against the State of Israel and the consequences that these actions will have on hundreds of thousands of innocent lives in the countries neighbors, as well as regional peace and stability, he said in a statement.

Dominican Republic: “The Dominican Government condemns the attacks perpetrated by Iran against Israel and expresses its deep concern about this serious escalation of violence that threatens international peace and security,” the Foreign Ministry of the Dominican Republic said in a message. He also expressed his solidarity with Israel and urgently called for an immediate ceasefire.

Tensions in the Middle East, already critical due to the war between Israel and Hamas, reached unprecedented levels on Saturday with Iran’s attack on Israeli territory. Iran fired more than 300 projectiles against Israel, marking the first attack in the history of the Islamic Republic against the Israeli State. The Israel Defense Forces specified that approximately 350 rockets were fired from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon. Sardar Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, said his country sent a message to the United States through the Swiss embassy warning Washington that if it cooperates with Israel in its possible next actions, American bases will not have security. Bagheri said that from Iran’s perspective, the military operation against Israel has concluded. However, he emphasized that the Iranian armed forces remain on high alert and are prepared to act if necessary.

With information from Eugenia Yosef, Brad Lendon, Tamara Qiblawi, Irene Nasser, Benjamin Brown, Radina Gigova, Abel Alvarado, and Marlon Sorto, of CNN.