Australia, South Korea urge Israel, Iran to exercise restraint

ANKARA

Australia and South Korea on Sunday urged Israel and Iran to exercise restraint following fresh attacks against each other, according to local media reports.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Israel and Iran to "not escalate" a "perilous" situation that could affect the wider Middle East.

Wong told ABC News that she spoke with her Iranian counterpart and also with the Israeli government through its ambassador, urging both to show restraint.

"I directly put to the Iranian foreign minister: 'We are saying to you, exercise restraint, return to diplomacy and dialogue,' because continuing to escalate this has consequences for all peoples of the region, and I think that is a position that so many countries in the world are putting to not only the Iranians, but also to the Israelis," Wong said.

South Korea's president's office also called on Israel and Iran to show restraint, saying Seoul does not support any further escalation of military tension in the region.

"We are opposed to military confrontation or escalation of tensions and have urged restraint by all involved parties," Yonhap News Agency reported, citing a presidential official statement.

Since early Friday, Israel has launched a series of strikes against Iranian territory, targeting nuclear and missile facilities and killing senior military figures and scientists. Iran responded with ballistic missiles targeting several areas across Israel.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid