European leaders call for calm after reported Israeli retaliation against Iran

The US Congress has pushed ahead with a $95m national security package that would provide additional aid to Israel following Israel’s airstrike in Iran.

The bill was moved forward in the House of Representatives following a critical procedural vote. The legislation would also provide humanitarian support to Taiwan and Ukraine.

Friday’s vote produced a seldom-seen outcome in the typically hyper-partisan House, with Democrats helping Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan advance overwhelmingly 316-94. Final House approval could come this weekend when the package would be sent to the Senate.

The European Union has moved to sanction a handful of Israeli settlers responsible for attacks on Palestinian communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, following months of deliberations.

A political agreement on the move emerged among the bloc's 27 member countries last month, but technical work has delayed its implementation, prompting many countries - such as France and Belgium - to unilaterally impose national sanctions. 

Four individuals and two entities responsible for settler violence will as of Friday be blacklisted under the EU's human rights sanctions regime, meaning they will be banned from travelling to the bloc and their financial assets frozen.

Remnants of a missile have been found near Latifiya, southwest of Baghdad.

An official with an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to speak to journalists, said the missile had been shot down as a result of jamming operations.

The Iraqi army doesn't have jamming devices of the type apparently used to down the missile, but Iran has provided such devices to its affiliated militias.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the missile was part of an Israeli attack on Iran or part of last weekend's Iranian attack on Israel.

In photographs from the scene published by local media, it appeared to be an air-to-surface missile. There were no reports of Iran using air-to-surface missiles in Saturday’s barrage, which included more than 300 drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

Tehran launched the attack in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike in Syria on April 1 that killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.

Paris police said they have detained a man at the Iranian consulate in France's capital after a witness reported seeing the individual carrying a grenade and an explosives vest.

The man was spotted at 11am Friday with no explosion reported, a Paris police official said. The man's motives were not immediately clear.

Images on French television and social media show police surrounding the building.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East.

Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres released a statement calling to end the escalating "situation" following Israel's reported attacks on Iran.

"It is high time to stop the dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East," spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.

"The Secretary-General condemns any act of retaliation and appeals to the international community to work together to prevent any further development that could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond."

Guterres echoed similar calls on social media roughly 12 hours ago, writing on X: "The international community must work together to prevent any actions that could push the entire region over the edge, with a devastating impact on civilians."

The United States told the G7 foreign ministers on Friday that it received "last minute" information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, Italy's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, told reporters.

At a press conference, US Secretary of State Blinken declined to comment, but emphasised that the US was not involved in any attack.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States was not involved in any offensive operations.

When asked on whether the US was alerted on Israel's attack on Iran he said he would not speak on the topic but that the "United States has not been involved in any offensive operations". 

"What we're focused on and again what the G7 is focused on... is our work to de-escalate tensions," Blinken added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets the journalists during a press conference at the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on Capri Island, Italy, Friday, April 19, 2024. AP

The president of the European Council Charles Michel told Euronews the next "hours and days" will be critical in the developing Iran-Israel conflict and hopes Israel's reported attacks on Iran on Friday will be the last.

"What is important is the intensity of the reaction," Michel said in an interview on Friday morning. "It's very important to observe in the next days if indeed it's possible to come back to a situation with more stability and to avoid more risks and more tensions."

"I want to be very cautious and careful, but I sincerely hope that what happened (...) is the end of that story," he added.

Michel also called on the recent development in Iran-Israel tensions not to take focus away from the humanitarian tragedy occurring in Gaza. He reiterated the joint call from EU leaders for a ceasefire and the immediate return of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

The G7 foreign ministers warned against new sanctions on Iran and called all parties to prevent further escalation in the Middle East.

"We condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s direct and unprecedented attack against Israel of April 13-14, which Israel defeated with the help of its partners, " the statement released by the G7 members said.

Yet, "in light of reports of strikes on April 19th , we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation," the statement continued.

G7 members also reiterated their call on Iran to not develop or acquire a nuclear weapon. They are urging Tehran to fully cooperate with the IAEA to provide assurances that the country's nuclear program is peaceful.

Read full statement here.

Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defence unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, state-run SANA news agency reported.

Warplanes were seen as loud noises and drones were reported near a major Iranian air base and nuclear site early Friday. The area of Syria is about 1,500 kilometers away from Iranian city Isfahan.

"We are closely monitoring the situation in Iran. The latest developments are extremely worrying. We are in contact with partners to work towards de-escalation," Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions, Hadja Lahbib, said on X.

Iranian TV presenter Gisoo Misha Ahmadi told Iranian channel Press TV that everything in Isfahan seems normal.

"Just a normal Friday, a weekend, and people are enjoying the weekend," she said as videos of streets packed with roaming cars played in the background.

Iran is on high alert amid the threats, she said, but despite that, "nothing out of the ordinary is happening."

“In any case, we continue to advocate restraint on the part of the parties and a refusal to take any actions that could provoke a further escalation of tension,” Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid slammed far right security minister over his social media posts implying Israel was behind Iran's attacks.

“Never before a minister has done such a heavy damage to the country’s security, its image, and its international status,” opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X.

“In an unforgivable tweet of one word, Ben-Gvir managed to sneer and shame Israel from Tehran to Washington,” he said.

Security Minister Ben-Gvir wrote "Feeble" on a post on X on Friday, suggesting Israel was responsible for the attacks on Iran, but that it's actions were weak.

The UK's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that while Israel has the right to self-defence, a “significant escalation is not in anyone’s interest.”

When asked about Israel's reported strikes on Iran during a press conference in London on Friday, Prime Minister Sunak said: "It is a developing situation and it wouldn't be right for me to speculate until the facts become clearer, and we're working to confirm the details together with allies."

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gives a speech in central London, Friday April 19, 2024. AP

Lufthansa airline cancelled flights to Israel's Tel Aviv and Iraq's Erbil until Saturday, the airline announced in a statement.

Flights to Iran's Tehran and Lebanon's Beirut will remain cancelled up to and including Tuesday, April 30, it added.

"The safety of passengers and crews is always the top priority; the Lufthansa Group does not rely solely on government assessments, but evaluates the current safety situation itself and then makes its own decisions," the statement said.

A significant portion of the public is deeply concerned about the economic fallout, more internal repression and the escalating tensions with Israel that could drag the country into war. 

Escalating inflation and shortages of essential goods, which could worsen amid a new wave of international sanctions, have become a primary concern for Iranians in recent years.

Iran's currency against the dollar, euro and pound reached a record low following Iran's attacks this weekend, with the price of 1 US dollar hitting more than 70,000 Iranian rials for an hour on Sunday, though later decreased. 

Iranians worry a more direct military confrontation with Israel will allow the Islamic Republic to quash internal challenges more easily under the pretext of avoiding instability.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that China "opposes any actions that further escalate tensions."

He added that Beijing will “continue to play a constructive role to de-escalate” tensions in the Middle East, Agence France-Presse reported.

On a statement issued Friday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Iran and Israel to restrain to avert further tension in the region and to comply by the rules of international law.

The statement also warned of the consequences and dangers of expanding the conflict and instability in the region .

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has urged both Iran and Israel to refrain from further escalation.

"We have to do everything possible for all sides to avoid escalation in that region," she said in Finland. "We have seen massive attacks with drone and missile around about 300 by Iran on Israel.

"It is absolutely necessary that the region says stable and that all sides refrain from further action," she added.

Standing alongside her at a border crossing in Finland, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said: "We are very worried about the situation".

Both sides needed to "stop attacking each other," he continued. "The situation is very dangerous".

Rome has appealed for calm in the Middle East, following Israel's reported strikes on Iran.

Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani called for an "absolute de-escalation" of the conflict Friday morning.

“We invite everyone to be cautious to avoid an escalation,” he told RAI news from Capri, where Rome is hosting the G7 meeting.

G7 members France, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada will discuss events in the Middle East, Tajani said.

In a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oman condemned Israel's attack on Iran on Friday morning.

The statement also denounced Israel's continuous attacks in the region.

Oman has been one of the mediators in the conflict attempting to de-escalate tensions in the region.

Israel's far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, wrote "Feeble!" on his X social media platform, following the reported Israeli strike in Iran.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran has no plans to immediate retaliate against Israel.

“The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack,” the Iranian official said on condition of anonymity.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says there is no damage to Iran's nuclear sites.

Writing on X, it calls on all sides to exercise "extreme restraint" and "reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts."

The UN agency said it will continue to monitor the situation very closely.

Explosions have been reported in Isfahan, an area of central Iran associated with the country's nuclear programme.

Flight tracking data shows that major airlines have changed flight paths over Iran.

Planes have been diverted to different airports after authorities temporarily closed the country's airspace.

Restrictions have since been lifted, following reports of an Israeli missile strike on Iran from US officials to to CBS News.

Iranian state television reported Friday that it intercepted three drones over Isfahan.

It said air defences near the central Iranian city were able to "destroy these drones in the sky" around 00:30 GMT.

Isfahan also is home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program, including its underground Natanz enrichment site, which has been repeatedly targeted by suspected Israeli sabotage attacks.

However, state television described all sites in the area as “fully safe.”

Asian stocks tumbled on Friday, with Japan’s Nikkei slumping 3.5%.

Tensions in the Middle East were weighing on sentiment across the region, with US futures sharply lower.

Oil prices jumped about $3 (€2.8) as the state-run IRNA news agency reported that Iran fired air defence batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near the city of Isfahan.

Iran has lifted flight restrictions, meaning regular flights could soon resume at its airports.

The country's civil aviation authority has restricted flights, following Friday morning's attack by Israel.

Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, has called for peace in the Middle East, following Israel's attack on Iran.

"We need peace not war in the Middle East, " she wrote on X. "I call for an end to the cycle of violence."

"Dialogue is the only solution," Burić added in Thursday morning's post.

Iranian media have downplayed the incident after a suspected missile attack by Israel. 

Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that the central city of Isfahan is “completely calm and secure”.

“People are going on with their normal lives,” according to the live television report after hours after reported explosions near the city’s airport.

The report said that “sounds were heard over the city” in Isfahan hours earlier, adding that “several miniature UAVs were shot down”.

Iran fired air defence batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near a major air base in the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

It remained unclear if the country was under attack.

However, tensions remain high after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel.

One government official suggested sites may have been targeted by drones.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.