Greece’s top decision-making body on foreign and defense policy, KYSEA, will convene on Friday following Israel‘s attack on Iran’s nuclear installations and the threat of a broader regional conflict.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is scheduled for 6 pm local time.
Greece issues safety advisory amid Israel-Iran escalation
In response to the deteriorating security situation, Greece’s Foreign Ministry issued a safety advisory to nationals in Israel, urging them to remain in secure locations near shelters and follow local authority guidance.
Israel has closed its airspace and suspended all flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport, the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry has activated its Crisis Management Unit. Citizens seeking assistance can contact: (+30) 210-3681350 and (+30) 210-3681730. The Greek embassy in Tel Aviv issued a similar advisory.
Israel targets “heart” of Iran’s nuclear program
Israel launched strikes across Iran on Friday, saying they targeted the “heart” of Iran’s nuclear program.
The strikes killed Hossein Salami, the chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, a powerful branch of the country’s armed forces, other senior military figures, and nuclear scientists, Iranian state media reported. Civilians, including children, were also among those killed, state media reported.
The Israeli military said Iran launched about 100 drones towards Israel on Friday morning, with Israeli media reporting all the drones were intercepted. A state of emergency was declared in the country.
Iran’s foreign ministry said its armed forces would not “hesitate to defend Iran’s sovereignty with full strength and in the manner they deem appropriate.”
In a statement, the ministry called Israel’s operation “acts of aggression” and said “the US government, as the primary patron of this regime, will also bear responsibility.” However, the US said it was not involved in the strikes. Multiple strikes were reported, including on Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes, called Operation Rising Lion, were “a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.” He said the operation would “continue for as many days as it takes to remove the spread.”
“In recent months, Iran has taken steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponize this enriched uranium,” Netanyahu maintained. “If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be within a few months, less than a year. This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival.”
In his address, Netanyahu also thanked US President Donald Trump for “confronting Iran’s nuclear weapons program.” An Israeli military official told the BBC that Iran had enough nuclear material to produce nuclear bombs “within days.”
Related: Crisis in the Middle East: How Will Israel Respond to Tehran?
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