On Sunday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for maximum restraint after Iran's retaliatory attacks on Israel over the latter's deadly assault on the Iranian consulate in Syria.
RELATED:
"The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate. Now is the time for maximum restraint," he told an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
The European Union (EU) and the Group of Seven (G7) leaders also called for preventing a further escalation of the situation in the Middle East following Iran's retaliatory strikes on Israel.
"Everything must be done to prevent further regional escalation. More bloodshed must be avoided. We will continue to follow the situation closely with our partners," said European Council President Charles Michel on social media.
On Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a phone conversation on the Middle East. They discussed regional escalations against the backdrop of the crisis in the Gaza Strip and its repercussions.
Meanwhile, Israeli war cabinet ministers convened to discuss a response to Iran's attack. A majority of ministers favored a counterattack. However, internal disagreements persisted regarding the timing and extent of the retaliatory action.
Appearing on CNN's news program one day after Iranian retaliatory attacks, U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby was asked by host Jake Tapper if the Biden administration supports an Israeli retaliatory operation directly aimed at targets inside Iran. He said that Washington does not want to go to war with Iran.