The European Union called this Saturday (10/26/2024) for “maximum restraint” to avoid “an uncontrollable escalation” and said it remained “fully committed to reducing tensions and contributing to de-escalation“, after Israel’s attack on Iran. carried out this morning in retaliation for the Iranian attack at the beginning of the month. Brussels thus joins other voices, such as that of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who have warned against a possible “escalation” after the Israeli attack.
“The dangerous cycle of attacks and reprisals could provoke a new extension of the regional conflict,” Nabila Massrali, spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS), headed by the head of European diplomacy, declared in a statement from the bloc of 27 countries. , Josep Borrell. Massrali added that “while the EU recognizes Israel’s right to self-defense, it calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid an uncontrollable escalation, which benefits no one.”
The attack launched by Israel this morning against Iranian military facilities, in response to the launch of more than 180 ballistic missiles almost a month ago by Tehran, caused the death of at least two Iranian soldiers. In response, Iran stressed its “legitimate” and “obligatory” right to defend itself, while most Arab countries in the Middle East also called for “maximum restraint” to avoid a further escalation of the conflict that would lead to a regional war.
Warning voices from other countries
Other countries have expressed themselves in similar terms. Russia expressed concern about an “explosive escalation” of hostilities between Israel and Iran and was “deeply concerned,” in the words of Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. Türkiye condemned the Israeli bombings and called on the international community to take “immediate” measures to “enforce the law” and “stop the government.” [del primer ministro israelí Benjamín] Netanyahu”, who recently suffered an assassination attempt from which Iran distanced itself.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for his part, stated that “Iran must not respond” to the Israeli bombings. France urged the parties to “refrain from any escalation or action that could aggravate the context of extreme tension that prevails in the region,” according to a statement from the foreign ministry. The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, has also expressed himself in a statement “deeply alarmed” after the Israeli bombings in Iran.
Saudi Arabia condemned the Israeli attacks and warned against any extension of the conflict, as did other governments in the region. However, Iraq warned, through its government spokesman, Basim Alawadi, about the “dangerous consequences” of the “silence of the international community” in the face of Israel’s “brutal behavior.”
