Brussels, October 26th, 2024 – Israel carried out long awaited air strikes on Iran early on Saturday targeting air defence systems and missiles manufacturing facilities, which leaves Iran more vulnerable for future strikes. The attack was designated to minimize casualties and prevent escalation. The Iranian regime has downplayed its impact in stating that the attack did not cross their red lines but they nevertheless threaten with retaliation.

On Saturday Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the government for not hitting back hard enough, stating that the decision to not target strategic and economic infrastructure in Iran was wrong. Whereas most countries are warning against a new escalation in the region a senior Biden administration official admitted that the Israeli airstrikes seemed to have been targeted and proportional and with a low risk of civilian harm. Both the US and the UK government urged Iran not to retaliate.

Israel’s retaliatory strike on Iran is expected to have ramifications also for the war in Ukraine as the military targets destroyed included facilities producing and supplying Russia with ballistic missiles and drone technology. EU leaders have in recent months stepped up their warnings to Iran for supplying Russia with missiles and drones in its ongoing war in Ukraine.

In a brief statement on Saturday, ECI Founding Director Tomas Sandell said that the IDF’s precision strikes against Iran and its proxies serve the interest of the EU and NATO as they are weakening the military capacity of the Iranian-Russian war alliance. He also reminded that “this military conflict, including the war in Lebanon and Gaza, was initiated by Iran and can be over in no time, once the Islamic regime in Tehran gives up on its obsession to annihilate the Jewish state and spread its Islamic revolution to the rest of the world, including to its Sunni Arab neighbours. For the sake of peace in the region and for the sake of the people of Iran we hope that day will come sooner rather than later.”