MOSCOW, April 18 Deputy Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Bogdanov, in a conversation with the Israeli Ambassador to Moscow Simone Halperin, emphasized the need for restraint by all participants in the confrontation in the Middle East against the backdrop of Iran’s attack on Israeli territory, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
According to the ministry's website, the meeting between the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and the Israeli Ambassador took place on Thursday.
“The emerging situation in the Middle East conflict zone was discussed. Particular attention was paid to the sharp escalation of tensions in connection with the retaliatory attack of the Iranian Armed Forces on Israeli territory on April 14. At the same time, the Russian side confirmed the need to exercise maximum restraint by all participants in the confrontation,” the message says.
It is noted that the conversation participants also reviewed the situation in the Gaza Strip «with an emphasis on the task of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including the release of hostages.»
“A number of topical issues regarding the further development of Russian-Israeli relations were touched upon, including the maintenance of political dialogue,” the statement said.
An elite unit of the Iranian Armed Forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, launched a strike on Israeli territory on the night of April 14 in response to the destruction by Israeli aircraft of the Iranian consulate in Syria at the beginning of the month. The attack, according to various sources, involved several hundred missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, including Shahed kamikaze drones, Fattah and Fattah-2 hypersonic missiles. Iranian state television channel Press TV reported that all hypersonic missiles reached their targets.
According to the Israeli army, Iran launched a total of more than 300 munitions and UAVs, including about 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles. At the same time, Israel states that only “a few missiles” reached the country and caused “minor damage.”
The head of the general staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, said that Tehran has completed Operation True Promise and does not plan to continue it, but if Israel takes any measures, the next Iranian operation will be larger than the previous one.
Israeli Minister Benny Gantz said the country intends to create a regional coalition against the Iranian threat and respond to the attack at the appropriate time and in an appropriate manner. The Israeli government is expected to decide on further actions in the near future.