EU Diplomacy Chief Kallas held talks with a representative of the Israeli Foreign Ministry

Amid the escalation in the Middle East, the head of EU diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, held talks with Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Gideon Saar and other ministers in the region on February 28.

"I have spoken with Israeli Foreign Minister Saar and other ministers in the region. The EU is also working closely with Arab partners to find diplomatic ways," Kallas said on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

She called the escalation in the Middle East dangerous. According to her, the protection of civilians and compliance with international humanitarian law remain a priority for the European Union. The EU consular network is fully involved in facilitating the departure of community citizens from the conflict zone, and secondary EU personnel are already being withdrawn from the region, she added.

Kallas also recalled that the EU Aspides naval mission is still on high alert in the Red Sea and is ready to help keep the maritime corridor open. Commenting on the broader context of the situation in the Middle East, she blamed Iran for the deaths of thousands of people and the destabilization of the region.

"[Iran's] ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs, as well as support for terrorist groups, pose a serious threat to global security. The EU has imposed tough sanctions against Iran and supported diplomatic solutions, including on the nuclear issue," Kallas concluded.

The Middle East beyond the border: Israel strikes Iran

Israel launches a series of attacks on military and nuclear facilities, Tehran is preparing a response

Israel launched a preemptive strike on targets in Iran on the morning of February 28. The operation was called "Yehuda Shield." Iran has completely closed its airspace to all types of vessels. Explosions and communication outages were recorded in Tehran.

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that the United States has launched a large-scale military operation against Iran. He assured that "he will take care to deprive Iran of the opportunity to obtain nuclear weapons."

Later, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recorded rocket launches from Iran, directed towards the country. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, part of the Iranian armed forces) has launched a large-scale retaliatory operation against Israel. So, in Bahrain, the service center of the Fifth Fleet of the United States was subjected to rocket fire. In addition, Iran attacked four US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

At the same time, the IDF launched a massive airstrike on military installations in western Iran. The city of Shiraz was attacked. In addition, 70,000 Israeli reservists were called up for military service. Against this background, the United States began evacuating some personnel from the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar.

Meanwhile, Israeli civilians are forced to stay in bomb shelters amid missile attacks from Iran. Izvestia's footage shows people playing billiards in one of these shelters. Israelis are singing songs and making videos in a Tel Aviv bomb shelter.

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