EU to introduce new sanctions against Iran after its attack on Israel, reiterates 'full' support for Ukraine.

EU leaders agreed on April 17 to implement new restrictions against Iran after its recent missile and drone attack on Israel.

The European Council in a statement released after the first day of a summit in Brussels condemned Iran's attack and expressed full solidarity with the people of Israel , reiterating its commitment to "Israel's security and regional stability."

Iran carried out a massive aerial attack on Israel on April 13 and launched 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles, the vast majority of which were downed by Israel and its allies before they even reached Israeli territory.

"The European Council calls on Iran and its proxies to cease all attacks and urges all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and to refrain from any action that may increase tensions in the region," an official statement read.

EU leaders also recalled their willingness to contribute to de-escalation and security in the Middle East.

Sign up for our newsletter

Ukraine Weekly By Olga Rudenko

The participants of the summit also expressed their full support for Ukraine, condemning Russia's recent attacks against Ukraine's civilians and civilian and critical infrastructure, including in the energy sector.

The member states agreed on further providing Ukraine with humanitarian and civil protection assistance, including equipment such as power generators and power transformers.

EU leaders also urged to supply Ukraine with additional air defense systems, artillery ammunition, and missiles to help the country defend itself from Russian attacks that intensified recently.

The combination of drones and missiles launched at Israel is a familiar tactic for Ukrainians, who have suffered from Russia's daily bombardment since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones were reportedly among the weapons used in the attack on Israel. Russia frequently uses the same model to strike Ukrainian cities and villages all over the country.

Since the beginning of the all-out war, Iran has provided Russia with thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones and assisted with building a drone factory in Tatarstan, which was hit by Ukrainian forces in early April.

In February, Reuters also reported on Iran sending " a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles " to Russia to fuel the ongoing war.