James Cleverly has criticised the international community for being "too slow and meek" in its response to the Iranian nuclear programme.
He said that as foreign secretary, he "pushed for a more robust international response to Iran's nuclear enrichment to avoid this very outcome".
This was because "it was always clear to me that Israel would take kinetic action if others didn't take effective diplomatic action", he said.
Unacceptable posture from Iran must end
Turning to the strikes themselves, Cleverly said that "regional stability and de-escalation are the priorities now".
He added: "Iran must drop its nuclear weapons aspirations. It is an unacceptable posture, not just for Israel but for many other countries in the region.
"Israel must show discipline and restraint to prevent further escalation."
A short while ago, a senior Tory in the shadow cabinet hit back at Israel's claim it had "no choice" to act - saying that "everybody has always got a choice on exactly what they do and when".