MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. Russia has an ongoing dialogue with both Iran and Israel, advocating for a rapid de-escalation in communication with the two countries, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"You know that Russia maintains close contact, we have very constructive working contact with Tehran <...>. We are in contact with Israel, too. The contact is also constructive," he said.
"We have an ongoing dialogue, highlighting the need to ensure de-escalation as soon as possible. We also call on all countries of the region to exercise reasonable restraint," the Russian presidential spokesman stressed.
Peskov mentioned a recent phone call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. "[Russian] President [Vladimir Putin] also held a telephone conversation with Iranian President [Ebrahim Raisi] yesterday," he pointed out.
Besides, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev held a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi, the Kremlin spokesman added.
On the evening of April 13, Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel in response to what it called "repeated crimes," including an attack on the consular office of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus. Tehran said that that attack targeted Israel’s military facilities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it intercepted 99% of the nearly 350 Iranian projectiles launched at Israel, saying that minor damage had been caused to Nevatim Air Base. The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that Tehran did not seek to escalate the situation in the Middle East but was determined to respond to any illegal and irrational actions against the country.