TEHRAN - The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned the ambassadors of Germany and Austria in response to the summoning of the Iranian ambassadors to Berlin and Vienna.

"Following the unacceptable moves of Germany and Austria in summoning the chiefs of the diplomatic representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran in protest to Iran's legitimate, responsible and effective punishment of the aggressor Zionist regime, Germany's ambassador, Markus Potzel, and Austria's ambassador, Dietrich Heim, were separately summoned to the Foreign Ministry."     

Germany and Austria had summoned Iranian diplomats to protest Iran's missile attack on Israel on Tuesday night.

Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israeli military sites in retaliation to the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyey in Tehran on July 31 and the heavy bombardment of southern Beirut on September 27 in which Iranian military advisor Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah were martyred.      

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said, "The step by Iran's Armed Forces is based on legitimate defense enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and after two months of self-restraint to help establish durable security in the region."

The ministry also condemned the support to Israel by certain European countries, saying, "We believe that if the European sides had stopped the killing and genocidal machine of the Israeli regime on time through effective and practical steps, including through cutting financial and armed support, today we would not have witnessed such crimes."