French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné and his American counterpart Antony Blinken have called for “maximum restraint” in the Middle East during a phone call on Saturday, amidst growing concerns of a major escalation between Iran and Israel.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine stated that both ministers share “concern over escalating tensions” in the region and have “agreed to continue urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any regional escalation that could have devastating consequences for the countries in the area.”
Séjourné and Blinken also confirmed their continued joint efforts to reach a “sustainable” ceasefire in Gaza, which has been ravaged by ongoing and destructive conflict between Israel and Hamas for nearly ten months.
Fears of a broader regional conflict are increasing as Iran and its allies have vowed to retaliate for the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, an operation attributed to Israel, and the killing of senior Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr in an Israeli strike near Beirut. Meanwhile, the United States is bolstering its military presence in the region.
Iranian leaders, along with Hezbollah and Hamas, have pledged revenge for the deaths of Haniyeh and Shukr.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel is at a “very high level” of readiness for any “defensive and offensive” scenarios.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that, in light of the “potential regional escalation by Iran or its partners and proxies,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered “adjustments to the U.S. military posture to enhance the protection of American forces, increase support for Israel’s defense, and ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various emergency situations.”
