The foreign ministers of the G7 group, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the High Representative of the European Union, expressed today deep concern about the escalating level of tension in the Middle East, which threatens to ignite a wider conflict in the region.

The ministers added in a statement: We urge all parties involved once again to refrain from continuing the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence, to reduce tensions, and to engage constructively in de-escalation.

The statement continued: No country or people will benefit from any further escalation in the Middle East.

This comes as Israel has raised its state of alert, anticipating for days retaliatory reactions from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Hamas in response to the assassination of the head of Hamas's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last Wednesday, and the prominent military leader of Hezbollah, Fouad Shukr, in Beirut last Tuesday.

While Tel Aviv has claimed responsibility for the assassination of Shukr, it remains silent regarding the assassination of Haniyeh, although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at Tel Aviv's responsibility for the bombing of Haniyeh’s residence during his visit to Tehran.