MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday called on Iran and Israel to exercise restraint amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
Tehran has issued fresh threats against Israel over a strike Iranian consulate in Damascus earlier this month that killed two Iranian generals, triggering US President Joe Biden to pledge “iron-clad” support for Israel on Wednesday.
“It is very important for everyone to exercise restraint in order not to destabilise the region, which is already not gifted with stability or predictability,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Earlier, Russia has condemned Israel’s conduct in its six-month relentless bombardment in Gaza that killed more than 33,545 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Moscow had traditionally tried to maintain relations with all major powers in the region.
But the Gaza conflict has dented its relations with Israel and it has already been strengthening military and political ties with Iran.
Peskov said Russia had not been approached as a potential mediator between the two arch rivals.
Meanwhile, Israel was on alert Thursday after Iran threatened reprisals over a strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria this month that killed two Iranian generals. Israel continued a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza despite international community pressure for a ceasefire.
Days after Israel strengthened its air defences and stopped leave for combat units, the United States also warned of the risk of a potential attack by Iran or its allied groups at a time Middle East tensions have soared.
Iran is “threatening to launch a major attack on Israel,” US President Joe Biden said Wednesday, pledging “ironclad” support for Israel despite diplomatic tensions over military conduct in Gaza.
Israel was widely blamed for an April 1 attack that destroyed Iran’s consulate building in Damascus and killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday warned that Israel “must be punished and will be punished”, days after one of his advisors had said that Israeli embassies are “no longer safe”.
Biden said he had told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that “our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran is ironclad”.
“Let me say it again — ironclad. We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security.”
Moscow called on both Iran and Israel to exercise restraint, after earlier warning Russian citizens to refrain from travelling to Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
“It is very important for everybody to exercise restraint in order not to destabilise the region, which is already not gifted with stability or predictability,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
German airline Lufthansa said it had suspended flights to and from Tehran, probably until Thursday, “due to the current situation in the Middle East”.
