EU seeks to avert ‘wider war’ in Middle East, zooms in on Lebanon

Following Iran’s first-ever direct attack on Israel, EU leaders and diplomats are increasingly looking at how a major escalation in the Middle East conflict can be prevented, including by focusing on neighbouring countries.

The wider situation in the Middle East, including Lebanon, is expected to be on the agenda when EU leaders meet for an informal summit in Brussels on Wednesday (17 April).

EU leaders are expected to “strongly and unequivocally condemn the Iranian attack on Israel and reiterates its full solidarity with the people of Israel and commitment to Israel’s security,” according to early summit draft conclusions, seen by Euractiv.

They will “call on Iran and its proxies to cease completely its attacks and urge[s] all parties to exercise utmost restraint and refrain from any action that may increase tensions in the region”.

Avoiding regional escalation

Beyond condemnation, EU leaders and diplomats are expected to discuss this week how to prevent a further regional escalation.

“The EU stands ready to work with all partners to avoid further escalation of tensions in the region, notably in Lebanon,” EU leaders are expected to say after their Wednesday talks.

Israel’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Monday (15 April) that Iran’s attack “will be met with a response”, without providing further details as Tel Aviv’s allies worry such a step could further escalate the situation in the region.

With Israel’s war in Gaza, occasional clashes have erupted between Israel and Iran-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Since then, fears are increasing that Hezbollah, a Shi’ite Islamist group that shares the ideology of Iran, could be increasingly dragging Beirut into a potential regional escalation.

The group is part of the “Axis of Resistance”, an alliance of Iran-backed groups across the Middle East that also includes the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

EU leaders are expected to “recall its strong support to Lebanon and the Lebanese people and acknowledge the difficult circumstances Lebanon is experiencing domestically and as a result of regional tensions”.

According to the draft conclusions, they are also expected to call for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was intended to resolve hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah following the 2006 Lebanon war.

At the same time, on Gaza, EU leaders are expected to reiterate calls on “reaching an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages, as well as increasing humanitarian aid at scale to Palestinians in need”.

“We’re on the edge of the cliff, and we have to move away from it,” EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. “We have to step on the brakes and reverse gear.”

Borrell also said the EU should aim to have the best possible relations with Iran despite the bloc’s already imposed sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear energy programme and other human rights issues.

“It’s in everyone’s interest that Iran does not become a nuclear power and that the Middle East is pacified,” Borrell said.

Sanctions in the making?

The EU could also impose new sanctions on Iran after Tehran’s direct attack on Israel, several EU diplomats said on Monday evening after talks between the bloc’s ambassadors.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced after the G7 talks that the EU “will reflect on additional sanctions against Iran in close cooperation with our partners, specifically on its drone and missile programs”.

While the current EU summit draft conclusions do not mention further sanctions, EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the matter when they meet for extraordinary talks via video link on Tuesday (16 April).

“The [Foreign Affairs Council] is also intended to discuss issues such as what would be the next steps by the EU and its member states to react to this latest escalation by Iran, so this is what I can say on the issue of sanctions,” EU’s lead spokesperson for foreign affairs, Peter Stano, told reporters on Monday.

According to EU diplomats, new measures could be imposed through a sanctions regime set up after Iran began supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine by supplying Moscow with its Shahed drones.

Under that regime, the export of components used for constructing and producing unmanned aerial vehicles to Iran was banned.

However, some EU diplomats say a strengthened sanction regime could also be ‘counterproductive’ as the bloc wants to persuade Iran to return to compliance with an agreement to restrict its nuclear programme.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

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