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| View of Tehran, Iran after the Israeli attack, early morning of October 26. (Source: The New York Times) |
The European Union (EU) on October 26 called on all parties to exercise “maximum restraint” to prevent the risk of conflict spreading in the Middle East, after Israel carried out airstrikes on Iran, killing two Iranian soldiers.
In a joint statement, the 27-member bloc warned that attacks and retaliation could lead to an escalation of conflict in the region.
The EU stressed that restraint is necessary to avoid the situation getting out of control, causing disadvantages for all parties.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has asked Tehran to end tensions after Israel carried out airstrikes on military targets in Iran on the morning of October 26.
On social network X, Mr. Scholz stated: “The situation cannot be allowed to continue to escalate. This must stop immediately to create an opportunity for peace in the Middle East.”
On the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow was extremely concerned about the escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran, and called for the normalization of the situation in the Middle East.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "We call on all parties involved to exercise restraint, end violence and avoid a catastrophic scenario."
Also on October 26, Türkiye strongly criticized Israel's airstrikes on Iran. Ankara called on the international community to take steps to restrain the Israeli government and ensure international law is respected.
Meanwhile, the Hamas Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip expressed solidarity with Iran, while blaming Israel and the US for escalating tensions.
Earlier, in the early morning of October 26, the Israeli army conducted three airstrikes targeting the Iranian capital Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj.
Israel said it had struck military targets in Iran in response to a series of Iranian missile attacks on Israeli territory earlier in October.
Tehran said it had essentially successfully thwarted the Israeli airstrike and that damage on the ground was limited.
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