The Middle East region is on the verge of a full-scale conflict, and the time has come for de-escalation and maximum restraint. This statement was made by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on April 14 during an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council (SC) after Iran’s attack on Israel.
“The Middle East is on the brink. The peoples of the region are faced with the real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time for détente and de-escalation. Now is the time for maximum restraint,” he said.
The UN Secretary General also noted that he condemns both the attack on Israeli diplomatic facilities and Tehran’s attack on Israeli military facilities.
“We have a shared responsibility to end the violence in the occupied West Bank, de-escalate the situation along the Blue Line and restore safe navigation in the Red Sea. We have a shared responsibility to work for peace. Regional and global peace and security are being undermined by the hour. Neither the region nor the world can afford new wars,” he emphasized.
The day before, April 13, Iran attacked Israel with drones and ballistic missiles. The Israeli military said it intercepted most of the launched projectiles.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that the attack was successfully repelled. Later it became known that Israel intends to create a regional coalition against the threat posed by Iran. The New York Times reported that after Netanyahu's conversation with US President Joe Biden, Israel changed its mind about retaliating against Iran. On April 14, the Israeli prime minister convened a meeting of the military cabinet. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the attack was a declaration of war.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on April 14 that the attack on Israel was limited. He noted that Tehran did not attack civilians, and also threatened to strike US bases in the region if Washington helps Israel. Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN said the attack was a state's right of self-defense.
The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern about another dangerous escalation in the Middle East region and called on all parties to show restraint. Official representative of the department Maria Zakharova, responding to the call of the Israeli Ambassador to Russia Simone Halperin to condemn the Iranian attack, recalled that the Israeli side did not do the same when Ukraine attacks Russian territory.
At the same time, the official representative of the country's Defense Forces (IDF), Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said that Iran fired 350 shells of various types at Israel. CNN, citing a source, reported that Israel has not yet made a final decision on how to respond to the Iranian attack. It was noted that the Israeli military leadership faces a choice: either carry out a powerful retaliatory strike or make a more informed decision.
In a conversation with Izvestia, political scientist Vladimir Shapovalov outlined three possible options for the development of the situation: a return to normal interaction between both countries, continuation of strikes, or the conflict spilling over into a full-scale war in the Middle East. Orientalist Karine Gevorgyan noted that Iran is not interested in escalating the conflict with Israel; its attack on the state is an attempt to wear down the enemy.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated after the attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1. Then two generals of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and five officers accompanying them were killed, and Iran threatened Israel with retribution.
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