World leaders are once again urging Israel and Iran to de-escalate tensions and avoid any actions that could lead to a wider war in the Middle East. The recent conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon, both allies of Iran, has raised concerns among global leaders.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain, whose military participated in defending Israel against Iran’s recent missile-and-drone attack, emphasized the importance of maintaining calm in the region. “Significant escalation is not in anyone’s interests,” he told reporters on Friday. “What we want to see is calm heads prevail across the region.”
Over the weekend, an air attack targeted a base used by an Iranian-backed armed group, Harakat al Nujaba, in Iraq’s Babylon Province. The strike resulted in at least three people being wounded, according to a hospital in the area. While there was no claim of responsibility for the attack, the U.S. military stated that it had not participated in any strikes in Iraq.
Despite the recent tensions, some analysts believe that the limited scale of Israel’s attack on Iran could provide a window for both countries to step back from further military action. Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, noted that the situation appears to be moving away from the “danger zone” for now.
The city of Isfahan, home to several Iranian military sites including nuclear facilities targeted by Israel in the past, seemed to be returning to normalcy. Iranian news agencies reported that none of the nuclear facilities were hit, and images of daily life in Isfahan were shared, showing people going about their routines in the picturesque city.
As tensions continue to simmer in the region, world leaders are closely monitoring the situation and urging restraint to prevent further escalation of conflict between Israel and Iran.
