‘’While acknowledging Israel’s right to self-defence, the EU calls on all parties to exercise utmost restraint to avoid an uncontrollable escalation, which is in no one’s interest,’’ said an EU spokesperson in a statement on Israel’s precise strikes on Iran’s military targets on Saturday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had struck Iran’s missile manufacturing facilities and surface-to-air missile arrays.
The EU statement spoke of a ‘’retaliatory attack’’ following Iran’s attack on Israel on 1 October with around 200 ballistic missiles,
‘’The dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliations risks causing a further expansion of the regional conflict,’’ the spokesperson said.
‘’The EU remains fully committed to lowering tensions and contributing to de-escalation and, to this end, remains in close contact with all relevant actors,’’ the statement said.
According to an October 14 report in the Washington Post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told US President Joe Biden that he intended to strike Iran’s military sites, and not to target nuclear or oil infrastructure.
US officials said that targets did not include energy infrastructure or Iran’s nuclear facilities.