Russia calls on all sides to exercise restraint in Middle East

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia calls on all sides to exercise restraint in the Middle East after Israel's alleged attack on Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said Russia is analyzing the coming reports and waiting for official statements to outline its position.

"We persist in urging all involved parties to exercise restraint, refraining from any actions that might exacerbate tensions in this already volatile region," he stressed.

While Israel maintains official silence on Friday’s reported attack on Iran, Iranian officials were quoted as saying there was no damage caused and Israeli drones were shot down by air defenses.

Tension escalated after Tehran launched a drone and missile attack on Saturday in response to the April 1 attack on its consulate in Syria, in which several military advisers were killed.

Turning to the situation in Ukraine, where Moscow launched a "special military operation" two years ago, Peskov said Russian military and intelligence closely track new weapons in Ukrainian arsenal, including reports of a combat drone with an alleged 3,000 km flight range.