'Clever policy' needed to avert further Middle East escalation, says German chancellor

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday called for a "clever policy" against Iran to prevent wider conflict in the Middle East.

While on a visit to China, Scholz, at a news conference in Beijing, renewed his call on Israel to show restraint after a drone and missile attack by Iran over the weekend.

"Germany condemns Iran's unprecedented attack on Israeli territory in the strongest possible terms. The regime in Tehran runs the risk of a conflagration that could set the whole region on fire. This must now be prevented with a clever and reasoned policy," he said.

His remarks came as Israel's major allies, including the US and UK, stepped up diplomatic efforts to persuade Tel Aviv to hold off on a major retaliatory strike, in a bid to avert a wider war in the region.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday that she would head to Israel later in the day for high-level talks on how to de-escalate the Iran conflict.

Baerbock also said Germany and its European partners were holding talks on expanding EU sanctions on Iran after its attack against Israel.

Iran launched an airborne attack on Israel on Saturday in retaliation for an April 1 airstrike on its diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital. It reportedly fired more than 300 drones and missiles, with almost all intercepted by the air defense systems of Israel and its allies — the US, France, and the UK.