India is worried about the Middle East’s growing crisis, according to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, since tensions between Iran and Israel run the potential of turning into a full-scale battle. He stated that India can address the issue through diplomacy and talks as part of that concern.
“Don’t underestimate the importance of communication in difficult times. If there are things to be said and passed on and back, I think those are all contributions that we can make, and we do…,” the minister said during an interaction with a think tank in Washington, hours before Iran launched a barrage of missiles against Israel.
He said, “We are concerned at the possibility of a broadening of the conflict, not just what happened in Lebanon, but also to the Houthis and the Red Sea, and to anything that happens between Iran and Israel”.
Additionally, the minister underlined that any nation’s response must respect international humanitarian law and refrain from endangering civilians.
“We regard October 7 as a terrorist attack. We understand that Israel needed to respond, but we also believe that any response by any country has to take into account international humanitarian law and that it must be careful about any damage or implications for civilian populations,” adding, “It is important to have some kind of international humanitarian effort”.
In retaliation for the death of Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah and the Israeli army’s continuous military operation in the area, Iran fired at least 180 missiles into Israel on Tuesday. With Israel and the US vowing to respond against Tehran, this event puts the Middle East on the verge of a regional conflict.
