2024-08-13 17:19:41
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appealed to the new Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian to prevent a military escalation in the Middle East, DPA reported.
“The cycle of violence in the Middle East must be stopped; any other option would put countries and people in the region at enormous risk,” Scholz told Pezeshkian, the chancellor said in a statement.
Scholz spoke over the weekend with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed his concerns about the danger of war in the Middle East and beyond.
In his telephone conversation with Pezeshkian, the chancellor emphasized the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of the hostages held by Hamas, BTA reported.
This will be an important contribution to de-escalating tensions in the region, Scholz told the Iranian leader, according to the statement.
Fears of a regional war have increased since the killing of two senior members of Hamas and the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Iran and Hezbollah have announced that they will launch massive strikes in response to the killings carried out by Israel. The Israeli armed forces have been on high alert for days. The US, Israel’s most important ally, has deployed more warships and fighter jets to the region, further strengthening its presence there.