UN Secretary General calls for end to cycle of retaliation in Middle East, international scholar says Israel and Iran have both exercised restraint

On April 19, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to the "dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East."

Anti-missile systems are activated after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, April 14. (Source: Reuters)

Mr. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, issued this statement after information that Israel had launched attacks on Iranian targets.

"The UN Secretary-General reaffirms that now is the time to end the dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East," Mr. Dujarric said.

He also condemned any retaliation and called on the international community to work together to prevent any new developments that could lead to worrying consequences for the entire region and beyond.

Meanwhile, AFP news agency on April 19 quoted scholar Julien Barnes-Dacey, Director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, as saying that both Israel and Iran appear to be looking for ways to escape the current spiral of escalation.

Israel launched a very limited attack in retaliation for Iran's April 13 attack, while Tehran quickly downplayed the incident to avoid pressure to retaliate.

According to scholar Julien Barnes-Dacey, at this point, neither side wants war. However, there is still the risk of a larger confrontation because it is unclear whether the April 19 attack on Iran is the entire response of Israel.

Meanwhile, scholar Hasni Abidi, Director of the Center for Arab and Mediterranean Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, assessed that both Israel and Iran have a certain amount of restraint.

For Iran, the issue is closed and they want an end to the tensions more than Israel does. However, there are still risks of escalation due to Iran’s support for Hezbollah and Hamas movements and the possibility of retaliation through these forces.

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