South Africa has urged Iran and Israel to de-escalate hostilities after Tehran launched drone attacks on Tel Aviv on Saturday.
Speaking in Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, where he had gone to campaign for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said "the world least needs a conflict that escalates to this level."
"We did warn at a very early stage that unless the challenges arising from the war between Israel and Palestine are handled with care, and with great wisdom – to ensure that there is a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance – the war would soon escalate beyond the borders of Israel, and it would engulf countries in the Middle East," Ramaphosa, who is seeking re-election in the May 29 polls, said.
"So, this (Iran-Israel tensions) is totally unhelpful, and it is something that should not be happening. We should not be having a regional conflict when we know what the origins of this conflict are. We, therefore, call on all parties to desist from escalating this conflict because it is a very dangerous conflict that could soon escalate even beyond the borders of the Middle East."
'Should not happen'
Ramaphosa added that "As South Africa, we have warned about this, and we are once again saying that let all actors desist from escalating this type of violence. It should not happen, we should not lose lives unnecessarily."
Iran accuses Israel of being behind the killing of 13 Iranians, including two generals, in an attack on its consulate in Syria on April 1.
Tehran, consequently, threatened to attack Israel as response to the April 1 fatal air strike.
Israel said on Sunday that Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles, but more than 99% of them were intercepted outside of Israel's borders.
Calls for restraint
Several nations, including Türkiye and the United States, have urged restraint in resolving the conflict.
Tensions between Iran and Israel soared recently after Israeli troops besieged Gaza and killed at least 33,729 Palestinians in the enclave since October 7, 2023, when Hamas fighters launched a cross-border attack on southern Israel.
Approximately 1,200 Israelis died during the offensive.
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