Germany’s Scholz calls on Israel, Iran not to escalate conflict

BERLIN

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday called on Israel and Iran not to escalate the crisis further.

“Everyone must ensure now and in the near term that there is no further escalation,” Scholz said during a party conference of his Social Democrats.

He underlined that Germany and its allies share this common position, but did not elaborate further on reported attack on the Iranian province of Isfahan.

German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin now expects from all sides to show restraint, and contribute to de-escalation of the situation.

“De-escalation must now be the message of the hour. We must absolutely prevent a conflagration in the region, this appeal goes out to all sides,” he told a press conference in Berlin.

According to US media reports, Israel carried out a “limited strike” inside Iran early Friday morning. There has been no official Israeli comment.

Iranian authorities downplayed the reports, and said the sound of explosions heard in Isfahan was the result of Iranian air defense systems firing at “suspicious objects.”

Tension escalated between Iran and Israel on Saturday after Tehran launched a drone and missile attack in response to the April 1 attack on its consulate in Syria, which killed seven Iranian military officers, including two top-ranking commanders.