Anwar calls for Mideast de-escalation

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has strongly called on all parties in the Middle East to urgently de-escalate the increasing hostilities and tensions that are destabilising the region.

In making the call, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said continued aggression and attacks by Israel in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen are deliberate attempts to divert the global community’s focus from its atrocities.

“This includes the acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, an escalation aimed at keeping Israel’s current political leaders in power and out of prison,” he posted on Facebook yesterday.

“We must urgently prevent a dangerous cycle of action and reaction which threatens to draw even more parties into the conflict, further deepening instability and broadening the scale of destruction.

“Malaysia urges all concerned parties to take immediate action to reduce hostilities and establish conditions necessary to prevent a broader regional conflict from erupting,” he added.

World leaders have called on parties involved in skirmishes in the Middle East to reduce tensions after Iran launched around 180 missiles at Israel in response to the killing of top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leaders and Iran-backed militias.

This added to the tensions after Israel’s incursion into Lebanon using ground troops after a week of aerial bombing on Iran’s proxy Hezbollah’s command centres and operations.

On Tuesday, United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres condemned the increasing conflict in the region, saying that a ceasefire is needed.

This comes after Israel’s military announced on Monday that it had launched a limited ground campaign against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.