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Middle East conflict

Lavrov urges global community to intensify efforts to ease Israeli-Iranian tensions

The Russian foreign minister called for resolving all emerging issues at the negotiating table

© Artyom Geodakyan/TASS

MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. The world must spare no effort to deescalate the conflict between Israel and Iran and seek a diplomatic resolution, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with his Indonesian counterpart, Sugiono.

"We stated today that we have close or identical positions on the majority of current international problems, including the most urgent ones - I mean the situation in the Middle East, Palestinian territories, and, naturally, Israel’s attack on Iran and the need for the world community to spare no effort to calm the situation, to ease tensions and resolve all emerging issues at the negotiating table," Lavrov said.

Overnight into June 13, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion targeting Iran’s nuclear program. Iran responded in less than 24 hours. In the following days, Tel Aviv and Tehran continued exchanging strikes. Both parties reported casualties and damage, and admitted that several facilities had been hit, but said the damage was limited.

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov

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