PARIS: The United Nations, Russia, France, Germany and Britain have urged Israel and Iran to avoid any further escalation after Israel carried out air raids against what it said were Iranian targets in Syria.
Israel said the bombardment on Thursday was in retaliation for Iranian rocket fire on its positions in the occupied Golan Heights. There were no Israeli casualties. Iran made no comment about the rocket fire.
The raids come after weeks of rising tensions and followed US President Donald Trump’s decision on Tuesday to withdraw from the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a move Israel had long advocated.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for an “immediate halt to all hostile acts” in a statement. He urged the Security Council to remain actively aware of the situation and “shoulder its responsibilities” under the UN Charter.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was also quick to call for restraint. He said the Israeli raids were “very alarming development” and called on both Israel and Iran to avoid provoking each other.
All issues “should be solved through dialogue”, he added. Both Russia and Iran have intervened in war-torn Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad. Israel has long warned it will not accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in Syria.
In recent years, it has been suspected of carrying out air strikes on installations manned by Syrian, Iranian, and allied Lebanese fighters across Syria.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday Iran had “crossed a red line” and the resulting bombardment “was a consequence”.
Iran does not want “new tensions” in the Middle East, President Hassan Rouhani told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday.
“Iran has always sought to reduce tensions in the region, trying to strengthen security and stability,” Rouhani told Merkel in a telephone call, according to a statement on the website of Iran’s presidency.
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