Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have warned that new provocative acts can lead to an escalation of tensions in the region, following Iran’s retaliatory attack on the Israeli-occupied territories.
The two diplomats made the remarks in a phone conversation on Sunday, as they discussed the latest developments in the region, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
“It was noted that a further escalation of tensions in the region and new, dangerous provocative actions could lead to a boost in tensions” in the region, the ministry said.
“Prevention of such scenarios and elimination of their causes must receive particularly prioritized attention within the UN Security Council,” it added.
The ministry further noted that “The Iranian Foreign Minister informed his Russian counterpart about the measures, undertaken by Tehran in response to the April 1 Israeli airstrike at the consular department of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, which led to the death of official Iranian representatives.”
It also said the two sides reaffirmed their position in favor of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched extensive missile and drone strikes against the occupied territories late on Saturday in response to Israel’s missile attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1.
The retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation True Promise, has inflicted damage on Israeli military bases across the occupied territories, but the extent of which is yet to be specified.
The Israeli attack on Iran’s diplomatic facilities in Syria resulted in the martyrdom of Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, and five of their accompanying officers.
The terrorist attack drew categorical condemnation from senior Iranian political and military leaders, who vowed “definitive revenge.”