Middle East 'does not need an escalation,' EU foreign policy chief warns

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned Monday against any further escalation in the Middle East amid heightened tensions between Tel Aviv and Tehran, saying the region does not need renewed conflict.

"Over the night we have seen escalation again. The region does not need an escalation, but actually that the parties sit down to a negotiation table and agree," Kallas said ahead of a defense ministers meeting in Nicosia, the Greek Cypriot Administration.

Reaffirming that the EU could help facilitate efforts after a ceasefire, she said the immediate priority was securing a halt to the fighting.

"Ceasefire is very much waited. Stopping this war right now, opening the Strait of Hormuz, and then using the time for a longer discussions when it comes to the more difficult topics like nuclear but other critical issues that are there," she added.

Iran launched several missile barrages toward northern Israel late Sunday following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which Tel Aviv claimed targeted a Hezbollah command and planning center.

The Israeli attack killed two people and injured 11 others in a preliminary toll.

The Iranian attack marked the first such bombardment since a fragile ceasefire in early April.

A temporary ceasefire mediated by Pakistan was reached on April 8, but negotiations later stalled amid disputes over its implementation and subsequent regional developments.