China told both Israel and Iran that it was deeply worried about another direct exchange of fire between them as the IDF prepared for a retaliatory strike against the Islamic Republic.
“China is highly concerned about the tension between Israel and Iran,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“We believe that further war and chaos in the region are not in the interests of any party. We hope that all parties will act prudently to avoid the situation falling into a vicious cycle,” Wang Yi said.
The international community, including China, has been worried about the possibility of an all-out war between Israel and Iran.
“We will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the cooling of the situation and restoring regional peace,” Wang Yi said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Wang Yi that his country didn’t want to see the already existing regional conflict expand, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Weighing the options
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held security consultations in the Defense Ministry on Monday night, in which it was expected that Iran could be one of the topics.
Israel is weighing the scope of a retaliatory attack for Iran’s ballistic missile strike against the Jewish state on October 1.
In preparation for a possible Iranian counterstrike, the Pentagon this week dispatched an anti-ballistic missile system called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) and a 100-member crew.
The US has sought a constrained Israeli response but has prepared to help defend Israel against any Iranian response.
In a post on X, Katz said he emphasized to Wang Yi that “Israel will respond [to] the Iranian attack” earlier this month.
Today I had a conversation with Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and China's Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi. I clarified that Iran is the primary source for undermining stability in the Middle East. Iran constitutes a threat, both through its…
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) October 14, 2024
“Iran is the primary source for undermining stability in the Middle East. Iran constitutes a threat, both through its proxies and directly, to the stability of the Middle East and to the stability of the entire world,” explained.
“Iran attacked Israel with more than 180 ballistic missiles. No country could ignore such an attack,” he stressed.