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EU leaders condemned the retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel late Saturday amid soaring fears of a major escalation in the Mideast conflict.
Tehran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones against targets in Israel, Iranian state media reported, in a move that could spark an escalation in the fighting in the Middle East. Iran had threatened to retaliate against a deadly Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria.
The Israeli military said the launches numbered more than 300 but 99 percent of them were intercepted. U.S. President Joe Biden said American forces helped Israel down “nearly all” the drones and missiles and pledged to convene allies to develop a unified response.
European Council President Charles Michel said EU leaders “strongly condemn” the attack by Iran on Israel. “Everything must be done to prevent further regional escalation,” he said in a post on X.
“More bloodshed must be avoided. We will continue to follow the situation closely with our partners,” Michel added.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the Iranian attack “an unprecedented escalation and a grave threat to regional security.”
The region had been on high alert for a possible retaliatory attack from Iran after an Israeli strike killed a senior Iranian officer at an embassy in Syria. U.S. officials had deemed the threat from Tehran as real and viable. Biden noted that “the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week” in anticipation of an attack.
