Russia, Belarus fail to condemn Iran's air attack on Israel

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the unofficial Telegram channel of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published the statements, while the official website still has no information on this matter.

Russian diplomacy, citing a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, wrote that the attack was carried out within the framework of the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter in response to attacks on Iranian targets in the region, including the April 1 attack on the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, which Russia condemned.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also noted that, allegedly due to the position of Western members of the UN Security Council, they were unable to adequately respond to the attack on the Iranian consular mission.

The department expressed only "concern over another dangerous escalation in the region."

"We have repeatedly warned that the unresolved numerous crises in the Middle East, especially in the area of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which are often fueled by irresponsible provocative actions, will lead to an increase in tension. We call on all parties involved to exercise restraint. We trust that regional states will resolve existing problems through political and diplomatic means. We consider it important that constructively-minded international players contribute to this," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Instead, the Belarusian statement does not even mention Iran and Israel.

They noted that they were "deeply concerned about the escalation of the situation in the Middle East region" and advocated for a peaceful settlement of the conflict through political and diplomatic means.

"We appeal to the entire international community, international organizations to take measures and consolidate efforts to immediately stabilize the situation," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on an unofficial Telegram channel.

They also advised Belarusian citizens planning to travel to the region to take the situation into account.

• Following a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Joe Biden convenes the leaders of the G7 countries to coordinate a joint diplomatic response to Iran's attack on Israel.
• Iran's recent drone and missile assault on Israel calls to mind strategic mimicry of Russian and Houthi tactics, aimed at refining more potent strike combinations.