By Anadolu staff
ISTANBUL (AA) - North Korea condemned Israel's military attack on Iran, calling it an act of “state-sponsored terrorism,” and blamed the US and Western countries for backing what it described as a threat to global peace.
In a statement carried Thursday by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, a spokesperson for the country's Foreign Ministry said the June 13 strike had raised the risk of “a new all-out war in the Middle East” and accused Israel of committing “an unpardonable crime against humanity.”
“Israel's reckless military attack on civilians in wanton violation of international law and the basic principle of the UN Charter is a hideous act of aggression,” the spokesperson said.
The statement said North Korea “resolutely denounces” the attack and expressed “serious concern” over what it called a violation of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
It also accused the US and its allies of enabling Israel’s actions, saying Washington and the West were “fanning up the flames of war” while failing to recognize Iran’s right to self-defense. The statement said Tel Aviv, with Western support, bears responsibility for destabilizing the region.
Regional tensions have escalated since Friday, when Israel launched airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.
Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks.
Meanwhile, in Iran, 585 people have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded in the Israeli assault, according to Iranian media reports.