TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
US, France call for 'utmost restraint' in Middle East
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne discussed the rising tension in the region by telephone with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, said a ministry spokesman.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators wave the flags of Turkey and Palestine during a rally to condemn the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, at Hagia Sophia Square in Istanbul, on August 3, 2024. (AFP/Kemal Aslan)
T
he French and US foreign ministers called on all sides in the Middle East "to exercise the utmost restraint" to prevent a regional conflict, France's foreign ministry said Saturday.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne discussed the rising tension in the region by telephone with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, said a ministry spokesman.
"They agreed to continue to call on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to prevent any regional conflagration that would have devastating consequences for the countries in the region", he added.
They will also continue their joint efforts for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, the spokesman added.
The meeting comes amid growing concern took place at a time when concerns about a possible military escalation in the Middle East, with Iran and its allies stepping up their threats against Israel.
Iran, the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah blamed Israel for the death in Tehran Wednesday of the leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement, Ismail Haniyeh.
His assassination came just hours after a strike claimed by Israel killed the Lebanese movement's military chief, Fouad Chokr, on Tuesday evening near Beirut.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was at a "very high level" of preparation for any scenario, "both defensive and offensive".
