China Reacts to Widening Iran-Israel 'Turmoil'

China has responded to the widening hostilities in the Middle East after Iran fired missiles into Israel on Monday, raising fears of all-out war.

The barrage comprised some 180 missiles, a "large number" of which were shot down, according to Israeli officials. Tehran said the missiles were retaliation for the deaths of Iranian military personnel and their allies, including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Abbas Nilforoushan, a brigadier general in Iran's Revolutionary Guard, who died in Israeli airstrikes in Beirut last week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had "made a big mistake" and pledged to make the country "pay for it."

"China is deeply concerned about the turbulent situation in the Middle East and opposes violations of Lebanon's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, as well as the intensification of contradictions and the expansion of conflicts," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement released Wednesday evening, without naming Iran.

"China calls on the international community, especially influential major countries, to play a constructive role and avoid further instability, the ministry spokesperson went on. They called for a "comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible," adding that the failure to achieve this is the main driver of "the current round of turmoil in the Middle East."

In recent years, Beijing has sought to position itself as a more levelheaded power than Washington. China played a key role in Iran and Saudi Arabia's return to diplomatic ties last year and hosted talks among Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah.

Monday marked Iran's second direct aerial assault on Israel of the year. In April, the country joined proxies in Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere in the region in launching hundreds of missiles toward the country, most of which were reportedly intercepted by Israeli defenses in coordination with the United States and other partners.

That attack was in response to deadly suspected Israeli airstrikes on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria.

Newsweek reached out to Israel's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

Monday will mark the first anniversary of the Israel- Hamas conflict, sparked by the Palestinian militant group's attack on Israel that left approximately 1,200 dead.

The death toll from Israel's relentless bombardment of Gaza has surpassed 41,000, according to Gaza's health authorities. Oxfam, a confederation of nongovernmental organizations, reported Monday that more women and children had died in the airstrikes than during any other conflict in the past two decades.

CNN cited Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib as saying that just days before Nasrallah's death, the late Hezbollah leader had reached an agreement with Netanyahu on a three-week ceasefire.

The revelation came as Israeli forces prepared to further escalate the conflict with a "limited ground operation" across the Lebanese border, despite calls for a ceasefire from U.S. President Joe Biden and other international leaders.

"I am more aware than you might know, and I'm comfortable with them stopping," Biden told reporters last week when asked about the planned incursion.

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