Croatian Consul and His Wife Suffer Minor Injuries Following Iranian Missile Strike on Israel
On the night of June 14, Israeli territory experienced a major missile attack by Iran, highlighting the ongoing extreme tension in the Middle East. One of those affected in this conflict was the Croatian consul in Israel, who, along with his wife, sustained injuries when their house in Tel Aviv was hit. News of the incident emerged through the statement of Croatia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, as well as a report from the country’s ambassador to Israel, which was spread through local media, including the HRT television channel. According to the Croatian Foreign Minister, the situation was quickly responded to, and fortunately, the diplomats' injuries were minor — their lives are not in danger. The minister emphasized that Croatian diplomatic missions in Israel are in round-the-clock communication with local authorities and doing everything possible to ensure the safety of their staff. Croatia’s ambassador to Israel, Vesela Mrdjen Kovač, reported that the consul and his wife spent the night in a hospital for examinations. The main danger has passed, and they were transferred to a safe accommodation of one of the diplomatic staff members in the morning. She also added that currently 27 Croatian citizens are in Israel. However, the evacuation of citizens is complicated due to active hostilities — the ongoing shelling and partial closure of the country’s airspace make it impossible at the moment to organize the withdrawal of people from the conflict zone. The background of the conflict had already heightened tensions in the Middle East a week earlier, when Israel conducted strikes on Iranian infrastructure targets, which Israeli military officials explained was a response to Iran’s attempts to bolster its nuclear program. On the same day, Iran retaliated with missile strikes on Israeli territories, demonstrating that the conflict is escalating to a more widespread and threatening level. The escalation has raised concerns within the European Union and the international community as a whole. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned of the risk of a global conflict unfolding, which could have consequences for global security. Meanwhile, France and other European countries have called multiple times for diplomatic resolution of the disputes and avoiding further escalation. At the same time, political and diplomatic circles emphasize the need for calm and the pursuit of peaceful solutions to prevent large-scale human losses and a humanitarian catastrophe. Thus, the current incident involving the Croatian diplomatic representative in Israel is yet another sign of the increasing tension between Iran and Israel, which could have far-reaching consequences for regional stability and the entire global community.