Baku, August 5, AZERTAC
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries on Sunday urged all actors involved in the current Middle East crisis to refrain from any steps that could possibly escalate the conflict further, according to Xinhua.
"We call on the parties concerned to desist from any initiative that could hinder the path of dialogue and moderation and encourage a new escalation," the G7 Italian presidency said in a statement.
After discussing the latest developments in a videoconference, the ministers expressed "strong concern about recent events that threaten to lead to a regionalization of the crisis, starting with Lebanon," according to Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani.
The G7 extraordinary meeting was called after a recent escalation in the crisis.
Tensions escalated after the assassinations of Lebanese group Hezbollah's senior military commander Fouad Shokor in Beirut, and Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran on July 31.
The G7 comprises Canada, the U.S., France, the UK, Italy, Germany, and Japan.