“The degree of confrontation between Israel and Iran has sharply increased. All this resembles a chain reaction and puts the entire Middle East on the brink of a full-scale war.”
Rising tensions in the Middle East have brought the entire region to the brink of a full-scale war, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned.
Addressing a BRICS Plus Summit meeting in Russia on Thursday, Putin pointed out that the “fighting in Gaza began a year ago” and has now spread to Lebanon with other countries in the region “also impacted.”
JUST IN: 🇷🇺 Russian President Putin says the entire Middle East is on the brink of disaster.
“The humanitarian situation is also exacerbated. The number of displaced persons and refugees is more than 1,000,000 people.
The infrastructure, residential areas, hospitals, schools,… pic.twitter.com/hgE84DznyL
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) October 24, 2024
“The degree of confrontation between Israel and Iran has sharply increased. All this resembles a chain reaction and puts the entire Middle East on the brink of a full-scale war,” Putin stated.
The Russian president also voiced concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying it is “rapidly deteriorating,” with the number of refugees and internally displaced Palestinians already exceeding 1.5 million.
“Enormous damage has been caused to infrastructure and residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and social facilities, and the destruction continues,” he said.
‘Comprehensive Political Process’
Russia, despite its own numerous problems, has been actively involved in efforts to resolve the conflict since the beginning of the escalation, alongside BRICS members and other partners, Putin said, noting that an emergency BRICS video summit was held in November last year over the situation in Gaza, the Anadolu news agency reported.
“The urgent task, of course, is to launch a comprehensive political process to resolve the Middle East problem in its entirety. It is necessary to stop the violence, provide vital assistance to the victims, and alleviate their suffering,” he stressed.
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The Russian leader reiterated Moscow’s “principled” position on the two-state solution, stressing that the settlement must be achieved on a generally recognized international legal basis, which directly provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state that can peacefully coexist with Israel.
“Correcting the historical injustice against the Palestinian people can guarantee peace in the Middle East,” he remarked.
“Until this issue is resolved, the vicious circle of violence will not be broken. People will continue to live in an atmosphere of permanent crisis, with inevitable relapses of large-scale violence,” Putin added.
The president emphasized that the implementation of the two-state formula approved by the UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions is critical to restoring peace and stability in the Palestinian territories.
Hamas Official Visits Moscow
His comments come as Russian state news ageny RIA Novosti, citing a diplomatic source, reports that a senior member of the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, has arrived in Moscow on a planned visit, according to the Middle East Monitor (MEMO).
The movement’s politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouk met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow, Reuters reported.
Senior Hamas official arrives in Russia 🇷🇺, Russian state-run news agency reports
A senior member of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouk, has arrived in Moscow on a planned visit, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday, citing a diplomatic source.
Hamas politburo… pic.twitter.com/xCM8vWftSL
— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) October 23, 2024
Citing the RIA state news agency, Marzouk was quoted as saying that “We discussed issues related to Palestinian national unity and the creation of a government that should govern the Gaza Strip after the war.”
A meeting of the BRICS began in Russia on Wednesday with the ongoing genocide in Gaza and growing concerns for a regional escalation in the conflict widely discussed.
BRICS Condemns Israel
On Wednesday the group adopted a joint declaration expressing grave concern at Israel’s military assault in the Gaza Strip and West Bank that has “led to mass killing” and called for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire.
“We reiterate our grave concern at the deterioration of the situation and humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular the unprecedented escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip and in West Bank as a result of the Israeli military offensive, which led to mass killing and injury of civilians, forced displacement and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure,” the declaration stated.
BRICS Summit Condemns Israel’s ‘Mass Killing’ in Gaza, West Bank – Call for Urgent Ceasefire
“We express alarm over the situation in Southern Lebanon. We condemn the loss of civilian lives and the immense damage to civilian infrastructure resulting from attacks by Israel in residential areas in Lebanon and call for immediate cessation of military acts,” it added.
It also condemned Israeli attacks on “humanitarian operations, infrastructure, personnel and distribution points.”
The declaration, published by the Kremlin, called for the full implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and welcomed efforts by Egypt and Qatar, as well as other regional and international efforts, to achieve an immediate ceasefire and accelerate humanitarian aid.
(PC, MEMO, Anadolu)
