Russia Asks Middle East To Refrain From The Large War Threshold

Middle East/Maps Area

JAKARTA - Russia condemns the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and calls on all parties to refrain from actions that could bring the Middle East into a major war.

Haniyeh of Hamas was killed on Wednesday, July 31, in the early hours of Iran, the Palestinian militant group said. This raises fears of a broader escalation in the region rocked by the Israeli war in Gaza and the deteriorating conflict on the Israeli-Lebanon border.

"We strongly condemn the killing of the head of the Palestinian Hamas movement political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, as a result of a rocket attack on his residence in Tehran," Andrei Nastasin, deputy spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry told reporters.

"It is clear that the organizers of this political assassination are aware of the dangerous consequences of this action for the entire region," he continued.

Russia, he said, had noticed the fact that the killings took place in Iran.

"We urge all parties involved to exercise restraint and ignore any steps that could lead to a drastic drop in the security situation in the region and trigger a large-scale armed confrontation," Nastasin said.

Russia also condemned the Israeli attack on Lebanon that killed Hezbollah's most senior commander in an airstrike in Beirut on Tuesday, July 30 evening.

"We strongly condemn the military action carried out by Israel, which is a gross violation of Lebanese sovereignty and basic norms of international law," Nastasin said.

"We express our deep concern about the growing threat of sharp escalation of the situation in the Middle East with this background," he added.

Russia, which has had close ties with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Arab leaders such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has repeatedly scolded the West for ignoring the need for an independent Palestinian state according to the 1967 border.