BEIJING, June 18. /TASS/. China believes that turning a blind eye to the latest escalation of tensions in the Middle East is unacceptable, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after phone talks with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi.
"The most important thing at this point is to stop the firing, stop the hostilities. The sooner we reach a ceasefire, the smaller the losses will be," the Chinese foreign ministry quoted him as saying. "We cannot just sit and watch the region plunge into the abyss."
In his words, Israel’s actions violated international law, infringed upon Iran’s sovereignty and security, and undermined peace and stability in the region. The attack also interrupted the hard-won progress in talks on the Iranian nuclear issue, while "Oman’s mediation services proved futile."
"China has always favored a peaceful resolution of all disputes and rejected the use of force or threats," the Chinese minister added.
Also, Wang Yi held a phone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty. The top Chinese diplomat expressed his deep concern about the situation in the Middle East, which, in his words, could soon spin out of control.
Wang Yi said the global community, particularly Middle East countries, need to show greater commitment to de-escalating the situation.
Overnight into June 13, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iran's nuclear program. Iran responded in less than 24 hours. In the following days, Tel Aviv and Tehran exchanged strikes again. Both parties reported casualties and damage, and admitted that a number of facilities had been hit, but said the damage was limited.