European leaders condemned the retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel late Saturday amid soaring fears of a major escalation in the Mideast conflict. Tehran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones against targets in Israel, Iranian state media reported, in a move that could spark an escalation in the fighting in the Middle East. Iran had threatened to retaliate against a deadly Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria. The Israeli military said the launches numbered more than 300 but 99 percent of them were intercepted. U.S. President Joe Biden said American forces helped Israel down “nearly all” the drones and missiles and pledged to convene allies to develop a unified response.
