Hungary\u2019s Foreign Minister Anita Orb\u00e1n has publicly condemned Iran\u2019s renewed ballistic missile attack on Israel, declaring that Hungary stands firmly by Israel\u2019s right to defend itself.<\/p>\n
Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orb\u00e1n responded swiftly to the escalation. \u2018Hungary is following the dangerous escalation in the Middle East with great concern. We strongly condemn the renewed missile fire from Iran, Lebanon and Yemen as well as the recent terrorist attack in Central Israel. Hungary stands by Israel\u2019s right to defend its citizens and urges a return to negotiations in order to reduce tensions as soon as possible,\u2019 she wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n The statement was promptly acknowledged by both the Israeli Foreign Minister and Israel\u2019s ambassador to Budapest. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar thanked Orb\u00e1n with the words \u2018Thank you, dear friend,\u2019 while Israeli Ambassador to Hungary Maya Kadosh expressed appreciation<\/a> for Hungary\u2019s solidarity, saying the support during these challenging times was greatly valued.<\/p>\n Iran Resumes Direct Strikes on Israel<\/p>\n After a pause of several months, Iran once again directly attacked<\/a> Israel on Sunday evening. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), all of the launched missiles were successfully intercepted, and no casualties or damage were reported.<\/p>\n The attack came just days after Israel conducted airstrikes in Beirut against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group. The Israeli leadership argued these were necessary because Hezbollah had violated the ceasefire that had come into effect the previous month, brokered with American mediation.<\/p>\n Iran had warned earlier that it was considering retaliatory steps following the Israeli actions. Analysts widely interpreted the Iranian missile attack as primarily a political signal\u2014a demonstration that the regime remains willing and able to act directly against Israel. The scale of the attack, however, appeared to be deliberately limited. These are expected to influence the scope and timing of any Israeli response<\/a>.<\/p>\n New Government, New Doctrine?<\/p>\n Within the space of a few weeks, Hungary\u2019s new government under Prime Minister P\u00e9ter Magyar has sent two distinct signals regarding Israel that together paint a more complex picture of Budapest\u2019s approach to the Middle East than its predecessor\u2019s unconditional backing.<\/p>\n For years, Viktor Orb\u00e1n\u2019s government acted as Israel\u2019s most reliable shield within the European Union, routinely blocking or diluting EU resolutions and sanctions packages that Jerusalem considered hostile. That era appears to be over. When EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels in May, they agreed on new sanctions targeting Israeli settlers deemed to have used violence against Palestinians\u2014a package approved with the new Hungarian government\u2019s consent.<\/p>\n \u2018The message was unmistakable; Budapest would no longer function as an automatic brake on EU measures critical of Israel\u2019<\/p>\n