President William Ruto has condemned Iran’s attack on Israeli territory.
In the middle of Saturday night, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel.
Israeli military, however, said 99 per cent of the missiles and drones fired by Iran overnight were intercepted without hitting their targets.
In a statement on X, the President said Kenya is deeply concerned by Iran’s attack on Israel and urged for restraint.
“This disturbing development only aggravates an already delicate situation in the Middle East,” Ruto said in relation to the Gaza conflict.
“The (Iran) attack represents a real and present threat to international peace and security, contravenes the Charter of the United Nations and should be condemned by all peace-loving countries,” Ruto said.
“In responding to this act of aggression, Kenya urges Israel to show utmost restraint taking into account the urgent need for all parties to walk away from the brink beyond which recovery will be enormously difficult.”
Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel in retaliation for an April 1 deadly strike on its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, which killed senior Iranian commanders.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said the attack was aimed at “specific targets”
Israel has not said it carried out the consulate strike but is widely believed to have been behind it.
Iran’s attack is the first time the country had attacked Israel directly.
The two states had previously been engaged in a years-long shadow war – attacking each other’s assets without admitting responsibility.
Animosity between them escalated considerably during the current war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’s assault on nearby Israeli communities October 7.
The two countries were allies until the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, which brought in a regime that has opposed Israel as a key part of its ideology.
Iran does not recognise Israel’s right to exist and seeks its eradication to free Palestine.
Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has previously called Israel a “cancerous tumor” that “will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed”.
US President Joe Biden pledged “ironclad” support in the wake of the missile attacks on Israel saying “We helped Israel take down nearly all” of them.
In an address to the nation, Prime Minister Netanyahu said the military is “ready for any scenario”.
“Our defensive systems are deployed; we are ready for any scenario, both defensively and offensively. The State of Israel is strong. The IDF is strong. The public is strong.”
Netanyahu thanked allies, including the US and UK, for “standing alongside” Israel.
The situation is developing rapidly, with Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, the three nations located on the likely flight path of the drones having shut their airspace.
Iran and Israel have also closed their airspace to all but military aircraft.
