Arab nations call for restraint amid Iran-Israel tensions

By Ibrahim Al-Khazen

CAIRO (AA) - The Arab countries on Sunday called for utmost restraint, de-escalation, and the avoidance of war risks in the wake of Iran's military retaliation against Israel.

In separate statements, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq urged maximum restraint and halting escalation in the region.

The statements came after Iran's military response on Saturday evening to Israel's attack earlier in April on its diplomatic mission in Damascus, Syria.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry called on all the involved parties to exercise utmost restraint to mitigate the risk of war.

Qatar called on all concerned parties to halt escalation, urging the international community to act promptly to defuse tension in the region.

Oman, through its Foreign Ministry, stressed the importance of restraint to avoid regional war risks.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry urged restraint in the region.

Egypt also called for exercising maximum restraint to spare the region and its people from further instability and tension, emphasizing continuous engagement with all concerned parties to prevent the region from sliding into dangerous instability.

Jordan's government, in a statement, called for restraint and responsible conduct amid escalating tensions in the region.

The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassem Al-Bedaiwi, urged involved parties to exercise restraint to prevent any further escalation that threatens the stability of the region.

For its part, Hamas considered Iran's military operation against Israel a natural and deserved response to the crime of targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Israel late on Saturday in response to the April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

The attack, which killed seven Iranian military officials, including a senior IRGC commander, drew sharp reactions from the Iranian government officials, who vowed "decisive response."

According to some unconfirmed reports, IRGC fired more than 300 drones and missiles in an attack that lasted several hours, many of which were intercepted by Israeli air defense systems.

However, IRGC commander Gen. Hossein Salami told reporters in Tehran on Sunday morning that the operation was successful more than they had expected.

Meanwhile, speculation is rife that Israel may decide to retaliate, which experts believe could trigger an all-out regional war.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul