G7 backs Israel’s ‘right to defend itself’ as Trump hastily leaves summit

Group of Seven leaders have backed Israel’s “right to defend itself” and labeled Iran a “principal source of regional instability” in a tersely worded joint statement released just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump hastily pulled out of the bloc’s annual summit in Canada.

The short statement came as Israel and Iran traded strikes on each others’ territories for a fifth day Tuesday following the start of the Israeli military’s surprise assault on Friday.

In the statement, the G7 leaders reiterated their “commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East” and “support for the security of Israel.”