Egypt's FM calls for restraint in calls with Iran and "Israel"
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Sameh Shoukry urged his Iranian and Israeli counterparts "to exercise utmost self-restraint."
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Sameh Shoukry, Egyptian Foreign Minister and COP27 president speaks during an interview with AP at the COP27 UN Climate Summit on November 10, 2022 (AP)
In phone discussions with Iran's and "Israel's" foreign ministers on Sunday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry emphasized the importance of caution, Egypt stated.
Shoukry urged his Iranian and Israeli colleagues "to exercise utmost self-restraint and refrain from provocations that would increase tension and instability in the region," according to a foreign ministry statement.
Egypt is prepared to step up its efforts to alleviate the present issue, "which has begun taking a dangerous turn as it coincides with the crisis in the Gaza Strip and adds tension to other hot spots in the region," the statement continued.
Shoukry also spoke with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Sunday to address "what has become a serious threat to the security and stability" of the Middle East, following Iran's launch of retaliatory strikes on "Israel."
Meanwhile, Turkey urged all parties to avoid further escalation, which might lead to a regional conflict, following Iran's unprecedented retaliatory strike on "Israel," which heightened Middle East tensions.
Turkey's foreign ministry released a statement in which it said it was "calling for an end to the escalation, to Iranian officials and to Western countries that have influence over Israel."
"Israel's attack against the Iranian embassy in Damascus, contrary to international law, provoked our concern. The Iranian reprisal... showed yet again that events can quickly transform into a regional war", it stated.
A diplomatic source previously stated that Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned his Iranian colleague Hossein Amirabdollahian that Turkey, which shares a border with Iran, wants to prevent "a new escalation."
Syria declared on Sunday that Iran acted in self-defense by launching its retaliatory strike on "Israel," in response to a fatal Israeli strike on Tehran's embassy in Damascus.
Israeli media: Iran response deterred 'Israel', collapsed barrier
The Israeli government is confronted with a difficult dilemma, to "contain" Iran's response, or to launch another attack against the Islamic Republic and risk escalation after the IRGC directly struck its internal front for the first time, the Israeli Walla! news site said in a Sunday report.
Accoridng to the outlet, by opposing an Israeli response, US President Joe Biden "has placed the Israeli government against difficult choices."
Israeli journalist Amir Bohbot considered that any future confrontation with Iran could end with "a barrage of drones and ballistic missiles," similar to those that targeted the occupied territories early Sunday, as "the dam (barrier) was breached and has collapsed."
He said that the "Israel" is "not in a hurry" to attack Iran, even though this "damages Israel's deterrence."
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
