Germany G7 foreign ministers call for de-escalation in the Middle East

In view of the worsening situation in the Middle East, the seven major Western industrialized nations (G7) are calling for de-escalation in the region. In a joint video conference, the G7 foreign ministers called on all parties to exercise the greatest possible restraint in order to prevent an escalation of the conflict. The path of dialog and moderation should be pursued in the current situation, said Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Italy currently holds the G7 presidency and organized the conference, which was convened at short notice.

Following the targeted killing of the foreign head of the Islamist Hamas, Ismail Haniya, in Tehran, Iran has threatened Israel with massive retaliation. There are fears of a regional conflagration if the militias allied with Iran in the region are also involved. These include the Shiite Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi in Yemen and militias in Iraq and Syria. Israel, in turn, threatened severe consequences.

The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal forum of the heads of state and government of seven major industrialized nations. These include Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Canada and the USA. The ministers of the respective member countries also exchange views on certain topics in meetings and video conferences.