BRUSSELS
The Left group in the European Parliament on Wednesday criticized European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for "failing to condemn" US and Israeli strikes in the Middle East during her address to lawmakers.
In a statement, the group said von der Leyen "once again failed to condemn US and Israeli massacres of civilians from Tehran to Beirut" in her speech to the parliament.
According to the group, she instead focused much of her remarks on economic issues, including energy markets, the EU's Emissions Trading System and competitiveness.
"In what was seemingly an effort to deflect from European Union leaders' utter failure to play a constructive role in resolving world conflict," the statement said.
"The war waged by the United States and Israel in Iran and Lebanon is completely illegal under international law," Manon Aubry, co-chair of the Left group, said, questioning whether democracy could be established through military force.
"If you love war so much, Ms. Von der Leyen, send your children to fight, but don't count on us. We say no to war and its profiteers," she added.
The Left group said it supports the right of the Iranian people to determine their own political future and called for diplomacy and respect for international law to resolve the conflict.
Regarding the attacks on British bases in the Greek Cypriot Administration, the group called for the dismantling of the bases and an end to the use of the island's strategic position to escalate conflicts worldwide.
Earlier on Wednesday, in her address to lawmakers, von der Leyen repeated her assertion that there should be "no tears shed" for Iran, which is under US-Israeli attacks since Feb. 28, accusing it of decades of repression against its own population.