Borrell: Hezbollah Or Iran Not Ready To Go To War

Archives - Head of EU Foreign and Security Policy who is also Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell/ANTARA PHOTO/Hafidz Mubarak A/nz/aa

JAKARTA - Neither Iran nor its main ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, are currently ready for war, said EU High Representative (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

"We have been warned days earlier," Borrell said, referring to Iran's drone and ballistic missile attacks against Israel at the weekend.

After the attack, Borrell said he was told by Iranian Foreign Minister Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian that Tehran was only targeting military facilities.

"It makes me understand that this is a controlled response. When you want to cause destruction, you don't have to ship a drone that takes six hours to land," Borrell said.

"Currently, neither Hezbollah nor Iran are ready to go to war," he added.

Borrell emphasized that the European Union's political goal is to avoid escalation of conflict.

He said regional conflicts in the Middle East would not benefit anyone, especially for citizens in the Gaza Strip.

Borrell explained that the European Union has no other power than diplomacy and unity, although some member states, including Germany, have had better relations with Israel.

America can use other means if they want, especially regarding the transfer of their weapons to Israel. They made binding decisions in the past. But right now, I don't think they want to use the influence they have," Borrell said.

He regretted the real and deep split between European countries over the conflict in the Middle East, and noted that several countries, such as France, changed positions and began calling for an immediate ceasefire.

"I've always tried to convey the consensus position: If stopping the supply of water, electricity and food for the trapped population violates international law in Ukraine, then the same thing will happen in Gaza," Borrell said.

"If we don't accept this universalist attitude, we are accused of implementing double standards," he said.

Borrell also said that when it comes to war in Ukraine, it is a matter of power imbalance.

"Russia doesn't need to win, it's enough not to lose. Ukraine, for its part, must win to drive away the invasion," he said.

On Saturday (14/4), Iran launched airstrikes on Israel in retaliation for an Israeli attack on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, Syria, April 1.

The attack killed seven members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

However, Israel says nearly all Iranian drones and ballistic missiles have been intercepted by Israel's defense system and its allies, namely the United States, France, and Britain.

Israel claimed the attack only hit one of its military air bases, but caused no serious damage.