MOSCOW, Oct 26, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Russia warned on Saturday that an "explosive 
escalation" in hostilities between Iran and Israel risked spiralling out of 
control, after Israel bombed military targets in the Islamic republic.

Israel warned Tehran would "pay a heavy price" if it responded to the 
retaliatory strikes, and the United States and Britain both demanded Iran not 
escalate the conflict further.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said she was concerned 
about "the ongoing explosive escalation" in the region.

"We urge all parties involved to exercise restraint, stop the violence and 
prevent events from developing into a catastrophic scenario," she said in a 
statement.

"It is necessary to stop provoking Iran into retaliatory actions and get out 
of the spiral of uncontrolled escalation," she added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told a summit of the BRICS group of emerging 
nations this week that tensions between the two regional heavyweights risked 
leading to a full-scale war in the Middle East.

"The level of confrontation between Israel and Iran has sharply risen. This 
is all reminiscent of a chain reaction and puts the whole Middle East on the 
verge of full-scale war," the Russian leader said.

Moscow has close relations with Iran and has expressed concerns about a wider 
conflict in the region, where it has security and economic interests.