In a statement, the MEA reiterated its call for a return to dialogue and diplomacy. (representative)
New Delhi:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday expressed its concern over recent developments in West Asia following Israel’s precision strike on Iran’s military sites.
In a statement, the MEA reiterated its call for a return to dialogue and diplomacy.
“We are deeply concerned by the developing escalation in West Asia and its ramifications for peace and stability in the region and beyond. We reiterate our call to all concerned to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy,” the statement said. .
“Continued hostilities benefit no one, even as innocent hostages and civilians continue to suffer. Our missions in the region are in touch with the Indian community,” the statement added.
On Saturday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that its military had carried out “precision strikes” on Iranian military targets, about a month after Tehran fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.
Israel’s strike came weeks after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Tel Aviv earlier this month. The Iranian strikes followed a nearly year-long conflict between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, including the death of senior leadership and fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Both sides traded cross-border strikes, including Hezbollah in support of its counterpart Hamas and Israel to clear the way for displaced settlers to return to the border area.
Israel opposes “terrorist attacks by Iran and its proxies” and has “targeted military bases” in the country, Israeli Consul General Kobi Shoshani said on Saturday, assuring that Israel can reach anywhere in the Middle East “in a very massive way”.
In an interview with ANI, Kobi Shoshani spoke about the conflict in the Middle East and said that they have some conditions that include Hamas not having any military capacity and there should be a safe zone in Lebanon where Hezbollah will leave the area and there will be a Lebanese army.
“This worries us a lot… Some friends of Israel are negotiating with Hamas to find a solution. We are also eagerly awaiting a solution. We have some conditions and one of them is that Hamas will not have any military capacity. . Second, in Lebanon we want to create a safety zone where Hezbollah will leave the area and the Lebanese army will be there,” he said.
Iranian media reported on Saturday that the country’s air defense systems had been activated in central Tehran in response to escalating attacks from Israel.
The state news agency IRNA reported that Iran had successfully shot down “hostile targets” in the airspace around Tehran province.
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published by a syndicated channel.)
