Budapest has stated that every global power should show responsibility and work to reduce tensions
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook late Sunday that it is possible to prevent further escalation of the conflict between Iran and Israel.
In response to the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus earlier this month, Tehran launched a massive airstrike on Israel on Saturday. While Israel has not confirmed nor denied responsibility, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement that Israel strikes “enemies all over the Middle East.” Iran has warned that any military response from Israel to its strikes would lead to an even greater escalation, while West Jerusalem is reportedly considering its options.
Szijjarto stated that he had discussed the situation with his Russian and Emirati counterparts, Sergey Lavrov and Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, late Sunday.
“Based on our discussions, I see that we Hungarians are not the only ones eager to prevent the spread of the Middle East conflict… There is still a chance that widespread escalation of the situation can be avoided. However, this will only be possible if all significant players in world politics behave responsibly in the coming period,” he stated.
In a separate post, Szijjarto condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel, stating that it “threatens to escalate the conflict,” posing a serious threat to global security. He expressed those sentiments in a conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday. He also said he made clear to his counterpart that Hungary opposes any further ramp-up of tensions.
Iran’s diplomatic mission to the UN justified Saturday’s barrage as self-defense under Article 51 of the body’s charter. Tehran also stated that it does not intend to take further action unless Israel strikes it again. The Israeli Foreign Ministry, however, declared Tehran to be the “greatest threat” to regional and world peace and called for “painful sanctions” against Iran, as well as the designation of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.