India News | Tensions in West Asia: India Calls for De-escalation, Restraint

New Delhi, Aug 8 (PTI) India on Thursday said the situation in West Asia is of "extreme concern" to it and called for restraint amid fears of an Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

West Asia is reeling under increasing tensions since Haniyeh's killing last week. Iran has blamed Israel for the assassination and vowed to respond to it at the "right time".

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There have been concerns that Hezbollah militant group, which is based in Lebanon and known to be backed by Iran, may also play a role in the retaliation.

"The situation in West Asia is of extreme concern to us. There are around 3,000 Indian nationals in Lebanon. There are 10,000 people in Iran," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

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"Our embassies there have issued advisories for people to be alert and cautious," he said at his weekly media briefing.

"Given the situation, we would continue to call for de-escalation and call for restraint because that is the need of the hour," he said.

Several countries including the US and the UK have asked their citizens to leave Lebanon.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)