Follow live the latest news on Iran's attack on Israel
BRUSSELS, April 18 () –
The heads of State and Government of the European Union have reiterated their condemnation of the attack with 300 drones and missiles by Iran against Israeli territory, promising new sanctions against Tehran's military sector while demanding that Israel “maximum restraint” and avoid a regional escalation of the conflict.
In the conclusions of the extraordinary summit marked by tensions in the Middle East, the bloc's leaders insist on the “strong and unequivocal condemnation” of the Iranian attack. They also show solidarity with Israel's security and regional stability and point specifically to Tehran and its related forces in the region, such as the Houthis in Yemen or Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Likewise, the leaders of the 27 point to the imposition of more sanctions to punish Tehran's drone and missile sector after the unprecedented attacks against Israel. “The EU is ready to adopt new restrictive measures against Iran, in particular in relation to unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles,” the conclusions state.
In statements to the press after the meeting, the President of the Council, Charles Michel, defended the importance of “doing everything possible to isolate Iran and involve the rest of the countries in the region” in order to avoid a further escalation in the conflict. in the Middle East.
“We must try to identify the best tools, on the one hand, to support Israel and, on the other, to ensure that we avoid any regional escalation,” he argued in statements at the end of the meeting, underlining the need for diplomatic contacts with neighbors. of Israel, who he said “know that Iran is a threat, not only to Israel, but to the stability of the region.”
Regarding the sanctions agreed between the 27 to sanction Tehran's military sector, the former Belgian prime minister has highlighted that they will be directed at key companies for the production of Iranian drones and missiles.
THEY ASK FOR CONTAINMENT FROM ISRAEL TO AVOID “BLOODBATH”
If anything, the demand for containment extends to Israel, which says it has already decided how it will respond to Iran's airstrike, saying they must “cease all attacks.” The EU “urges all parties to act with maximum restraint and refrain from any action that could increase tensions in the region”, in a message to Tel Aviv, aware that increased tensions could lead to a regional war and a “bloodbath”, as the prime ministers of Ireland, Simon Harris, and Belgium, Alexander De Croo, have warned before the meeting.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has arrived at the summit calling on Israel to capitalize on the success of having neutralized the Iranian attacks to strengthen its position in the region and “not to respond with another massive attack.”
European leaders have not gone further to include the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on the list of terrorist groups, something that some partners such as the Netherlands and Belgium demand but about which there are legal doubts since taking that step requires a basis legal.
In any case, regarding the war in the Gaza Strip, the EU emphasizes a solution to the conflict, insisting in its conclusions that an “immediate ceasefire” be achieved and the unconditional release of the hostages taken by Hamas within the framework of the attacks of October 7.
The bloc's leaders emphasize the need to increase humanitarian supplies and for aid to reach “quickly, safely and unimpededly to the Palestinians who need it”, in addition to reiterating their commitment to the two-state solution.
