Germany urges regional de-escalation after deadly attack on Iranian Consulate in Damascus
BERLIN
The German government called for regional de-escalation on Tuesday in the wake of a deadly airstrike on the Iranian Consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus.
“We are calling on all actors in the region – including Israel – to avoid regional escalation at all costs,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told the media in Berlin.
Although he expressed doubts over Israel’s role in the attack on the Iranian compound in Damascus, Fischer warned that that military operations targeting embassies or consulates carried a dangerous potential for escalation.
“Any confirmed armed attack against an embassy or consulate would be a cause for concern,” he said.
According to the US government, Israel is responsible for the attack. The Pentagon made this clear in Washington on Tuesday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, according to his spokesman.
“The secretary-general reaffirms that the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law,” said Stephane Dujarric in a statement.
Guterres also reminded all parties of the need to respect all their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law.
He also repeated his calls on all concerned to avoid attacks that could harm civilians and damage civilian infrastructure, said the spokesman.
“The secretary-general further calls on all concerned to exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation. He cautions that any miscalculation could lead to broader conflict in an already volatile region, with devastating consequences for civilians who are already seeing unprecedented suffering in Syria, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, and the broader Middle East,” he added.
On Monday, two brigadier generals and five other members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) were killed in an air strike on the Iranian Embassy compound in Damascus. The IRGC is Iran’s elite military force.
Iran strongly condemned the attack and threatened its archenemy Israel with retaliation.
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