Greece on Alert, Calls for Restraint as Israel-Iran Crisis Escalates

The government in Greece issued a stern condemnation of Iran’s recent attacks on Israel, labeling them as a “significant escalation.”

Authorities are maintaining a state of alert and staying in close contact with Western allies, while Greek missions remain active in the wider region.

PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his condemnation of Iran’s attack and called for restraint to avoid a wider regional conflict.

“These are extremely unpleasant and very disturbing developments that are sparking a new conflagration in our wider neighborhood and of course in the Middle East,” Mitsotakis said.

“I want to start with the clear and unequivocal condemnation of the Greek Government and me personally against Iran’s attack on Israel,” he added in a message on social media.

Greece monitors Israel-Iran crisis

Greece “unequivocally condemns the attack against Israel” and calls for “restraint from all sides in order to avoid a wider regional conflict,” Pavlos Marinakis, a government spokesman, said on Sunday.

In response to the escalating situation, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis convened an emergency session of the National Security Governmental Council on Sunday afternoon to assess the security situation.

“During the meeting, the latest developments in the region after Iran’s attacks against Israel were discussed and the security situation was reviewed,” Marinakis said.

Diplomatic sources in Athens say that while an Israeli response is expected, its extent remains uncertain.

Two Greek frigates are positioned in the region with Hydra in the Red Sea and Lemnos engaged in UNIFIL operations in Lebanon. The European mission Aspides, in which the Hydra frigate participates, has effectively been upgraded but also presents increased risks.

Greeks have been advised to cancel non-essential travel to Israel and Iran. The Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias interrupted his visit to the US and returned to Athens after the escalation in the Middle East. He was due to attend the parade in New York celebrating Greek Independence.

“I always say in my speeches that Greece is not blessed in its geographical location. We are in an area with crises that happen again and again,” Dendias said before departing for Athens.

Israel vows revenge against Iran

Israel has vowed to “exact a price” from Iran in retaliation for the large-scale aerial assault on the Jewish state this weekend. While some analysts expect Israel to respond, the timing and extent of that retaliation remains in question.

Iran launched more than three hundred drones and missiles against military targets into Israel on Saturday in what President Joe Biden described as “unprecedented.”

While President Biden has pledged an “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security against Iranian threats, he has also made clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the US will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran, a senior administration official told NBC News.

Related: Possible Conflict Between Israel and Iran Threatens To Engulf the Middle East