A White House spokesman confirmed that US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the UK to discuss de-escalating tensions in the Middle East and a ceasefire in Gaza.
The leaders of the five countries said in a joint statement issued by the White House that they support a call by Qatar, Egypt, and the US to resume ceasefire talks in Gaza and reach an agreement as soon as possible.
However, a joint statement called on Iran to “stand down” its threats of an attack on Israel.
“We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place,” the leaders said after speaking together by phone.
The Middle East has been on high alert since the assassinations of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Iran and its regional proxies, including Lebanese Hezbollah, blamed Israel for these attacks and vowed to retaliate.
Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Palestinian Delegate to the United Nations, has called on the International Security Council to fulfil its responsibilities in halting the brutal Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.
In a statement to Al Arabiya Al Hadath news channel, Mansour announced that “the Security Council will hold an open emergency session to discuss the Israeli attack on the Tabi’een School in Gaza,” emphasizing the need for the council to condemn this savage attack and to hold the responsible Israeli officials accountable. The attack resulted in the deaths of nearly one hundred Palestinians.
