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.