Israel strikes Iran: ‘They are building the bomb’; EU does not condemn Israel, urges de-escalation

Brussels – Israel ups the stakes and widens the already acute crisis in the Middle East by directly attacking Iran. Last night, Tel Aviv launched a large-scale military action against its historic regional rival that, in the words of Benjamin Netanyahu, will last as long as necessary. With its “pre-emptive strikes,” the Jewish state aims to prevent the Islamic Republic from building a nuclear bomb. From the EU come mixed reactions; however, all urge the parties to de-escalate.

The Tel Aviv attack (and Tehran’s response)

On the night between June 12 and 13, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a heavy bombing campaign on Iran, dangerously widening the military escalation to the entire Middle East region. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented Operation Rising Lion as a preventive action to ensure the security of the Jewish State, which the advance of Tehran’s military nuclear program would threaten.

Moments ago, Israel launched Operation “Rising Lion”, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.

This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.

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Statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: pic.twitter.com/XgUTy90g1S

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) June 13, 2025

The operation will continue “for as many days as necessary,” said Netanyahu (who has an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court since last November). If left unchecked, he argued, “the increasing range of Iranian ballistic missiles would bring the nuclear nightmare to European cities and eventually to America.”

Tel Aviv’s army sent more than 200 planes into the air, hitting a hundred or so targets, including nuclear sites (including Natanz, the country’s largest), missile and anti-aircraft installations, weapons depots, and also residential areas throughout the Islamic Republic. The IDF confirmed that it had assassinated “the three highest military commanders” in Tehran, including the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, and the army chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri, as well as a half-dozen scientists suspected of playing a key role in the ayatollahs’ uranium enrichment.

Again, Tel Aviv thus drastically increases the tension in the entire region after more than a year and a half of war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, accompanied by carpet bombings and ground incursions into Lebanon and Syria.

In response to the overnight bombings, Tehran promised an immediate retaliation that is, in fact, already underway, entrusted to at least a hundred drones. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announced “severe punishment,” while the Iranian military spoke of a lethal response. Israel went into lockdown this morning, with the streets of major cities deserted and authorities advising residents to stay indoors and stock up on sufficient food supplies for a couple of weeks. The Jewish State and neighboring Jordan are currently intercepting Iranian drones in their respective airspaces.

Reactions from world leaders and the EU

In the last few hours, reactions have multiplied from world leaders, who called on both countries for restraint to prevent another devastating escalation. Turkey condemns Israel’s “aggressive actions,” while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (whose government
recently sanctioned two members of the Israeli executive) called the attacks “concerning.”

From EU officials come decidedly more lenient comments. For the president of the EU executive Ursula von der Leyen, all parties must “show utmost restraint, defuse tension immediately, and avoid retaliation.” A message also echoed by the president of the European Council, António Costa, according to whom “it is necessary to avoid a further dangerous escalation,” while High Representative Kaja Kallas said she is “ready to support any diplomatic effort aimed at reducing tension.” Spokespersons for the Commission and the External Action Service (EEAS) confirmed that they were in contact with both sides (Kallas reportedly had talks in the morning with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar) but declined to provide “any assessment of the compatibility of the Israeli attacks with international law.“

More critical are the center-left Italian MEPs, who have for some time now been raising their voices on the need for Brussels to suspend the Association Agreement with Tel Aviv: the latter is currently in the review phase, but to pause it requires unanimity among the Twenty-Seven, which remains a chimera. Pierfrancesco Maran (PD) suggested “stopping military supplies to Israel,” while his group (S&D) merely called for the suspension of trade relations with the Jewish state. Leoluca Orlando (AVS) expects “effects more unpredictable and extensive than those of the war in Ukraine,” branding Netanyahu’s executive as “an insult to Jewish culture.”

According to the M5s delegation, “Israel uses bombs (half of them produced in Europa, Ed.) to defy international law and endanger global security.” Brussels should stop “tolerating the arrogance of the Netanyahu government.” The M5S group in Strasbourg, the Left, calls for an arms embargo, the immediate suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and a follow-up on the arrest warrant issued by the ICC.

Washington’s position (and IAEA warnings)

Unlike usual, the US administration – warned of the attack – sought to distance itself from Tel Aviv‘s actions, stressing that it was a unilateral decision. “We are not involved in attacks against Iran, and our priority is to protect American forces in the region,” reads a note circulated by Marco Rubio, the head of US diplomacy, which unusually does not include any generic formulation of support for the Jewish state.

The relative coolness of Uncle Sam (traditionally the Jewish state’s staunchest ally) is said to be because Donald Trump still harbored hopes of being able to reach an agreement with the Iranian leadership over its nuclear program. Talks between the parties have been going on for months but have been stalling in recent weeks, although the tycoon still seems to be hoping for a resumption of talks with the Islamic Republic. The sixth round of negotiations was scheduled for this weekend, but the events of last night have probably wiped out any chance of reaching a breakthrough any time soon.

Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reiterated calls for restraint to avoid a nuclear disaster in the region and made himself available “to travel to the site as soon as possible to assess the situation and ensure safety, security, and non-proliferation in Iran.” Just yesterday, the UN agency censured the Tehran government for the first time in 20 years, claiming that the Iranian authorities are not fulfilling their commitments regarding “international nuclear safeguards.”

In 2015, Iran signed a historic EU-brokered multilateral agreement on its nuclear program, known as the Joint Common Plan of Action (JCPOA), which provided for, among other things, international control over the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment, which was only allowed for civilian uses. The treaty collapsed in 2018, during Trump’s first term in the White House. From the Berlaymont, it is reiterated that “the EU will not abandon the JCPOA.”