Iran condemns ‘violent’ attack on Jewish event in Australia

“As a matter of principle, Iran condemns the violent attack against civilians in Sydney, Australia,”  Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on his X account on Sunday.

“Terror violence and mass killing shall be condemned, wherever they're committed, as unlawful and criminal,” he added.

As a matter of principle, Iran condemns the violent attack against civilians in Sydney, Australia.

Terror violence and mass killing shall be condemned, wherever they're committed, as unlawful and criminal.

Baghaei’s post came hours after a father-and-son team toting long-barreled guns shot and killed 16 people at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

Authorities described the incident an “antisemitic terrorist attack” on a Jewish festival.

Authorities said police fatally shot one gunman, and the second was arrested and is in critical condition.

Another 42 people were hospitalized, including two police officers.

The gunmen targeted an annual celebration that drew more than 1,000 people to the beach to mark the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

Australia is mourning the dead by flying flags at half-mast Monday, said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who laid flowers at the entrance to Bondi Pavilion on the beach.

"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location, Bondi Beach, that is associated with joy, associated with families gathering, associated with celebrations," Albanese told a news conference.

"It is forever tarnished by what has occurred last evening."

They include the torching of a kosher cafe in Sydney's Bondi suburb in October 2024, and a major arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024. No injuries were reported in the two attacks.