MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/. Moscow is doing its best to prevent the situation in the Middle East from escalating further, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.
"Russia is doing its best to prevent the situation in the Middle East from escalating further. Intense conversations are taking place at various levels, with Russian officials calling on all the involved parties to exercise restraint and reason. We do hope that our efforts will produce results," the diplomat pointed out, commenting on the recent round of tensions between Israel and Iran.
She highlighted the need to stop the situation from escalating because it would have "the most serious consequences for the entire Middle East."
In this regard, Zakharova pointed to the position of Tehran who believes that it would have been possible to avoid an Iranian response to Israel’s strike on a consulate in Damascus had the UN Security Council resolutely condemned Israel’s illegal actions. However, after the top UN body failed to condemn Israel, Iran had to "take retaliatory action," Zakharova explained.
She stressed that the US position was the only reason why the UN Security Council was unable to operate properly. "It’s important to consolidate the international community’s efforts and urge the US to stop sabotaging the work of the UN Security Council in situations where the body should prevent such an escalation as it has the mandate and tools to do so," she emphasized.
On the evening of April 13, Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel in response to what it called "repeated crimes," including an attack on the consular office of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus ascribed to Israel. Iran’s state-run media outlets said that military facilities in Israel were targeted. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it intercepted 99% of the about 300 Iranian projectiles launched at Israel, saying that minor damage had been caused to Nevatim Air Base.