The Telegram (St. John's)

Russia and Germany urge restraint as Iranian threat puts Middle East on edge

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Russia and Germany on Thursday urged countries in the Middle East to show restraint and Israel said it was preparing to “meet all its security needs” in a region on edge over an Iranian threat to strike Israel.

The German airline Lufthansa, one of only two Western carriers flying to Tehran, extended a suspension of its flights to the Iranian capital and Russia warned against travel to the Middle East.

Iran has vowed revenge for the April 1 airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus that killed a top Iranian general and six other Iranian military officers, ratcheting up tension in a region already strained by the Gaza war.

Israel has not claimed responsibi­lity for the attack, but Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Israel “must be punished and it shall be,” saying it was tantamount to an attack on Iranian soil.

The “imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime” might have been avoided had the UN Security Council condemned the strike and brought the perpetrato­rs to justice, Tehran’s mission to the United Nations said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was keeping up its war in Gaza but making security preparatio­ns elsewhere.

“Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensivel­y and offensivel­y,” he said in comments released following a visit to an air force base.

Conflict has spread across the Middle East since the eruption of the Gaza war, with Iran-backed groups declaring support for the Palestinia­ns waging attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Tehran has avoided direct confrontat­ion with Israel or the United States, while declaring support for its allies.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on her Iranian counterpar­t Hossein Amirabdoll­ahian to urge “maximum restraint” to avoid further escalation.

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