Russia and Germany are calling for restraint as the Iranian threat endangers the Middle East

MOSCOW:

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

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

Iran has vowed to avenge the April 1 airstrike on its embassy in Damascus that killed a top Iranian general and six other Iranian military personnel, heightening tension in a region already strained by the war in Gaza.

Reading: Khamenei says Israel “must be punished” for Syria embassy attack

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Israel “must be punished and will be punished”, saying it amounted to an attack on Iranian soil.

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

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

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

Reading: Israel has completed preparations for a possible war with Iran, the defense minister said

His comments come amid concern that Iran is preparing to strike Israel in retaliation for the killing of senior Iranian commanders in Damascus on April 1.

Conflict has spread across the Middle East since the outbreak of war in Gaza, with Iran-backed groups saying they support Palestinians who are 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.