S Jaishankar reacts to fresh Middle East crisis: ‘We understand Israel needs to respond, but…’

S Jaishankar called Hamas' attack on Israel a “terrorist attack” and said India is concerned about all conflicts in West Asia, not just current tensions.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday that India is “very much” concerned at the possibility of a regional war in West Asia and “any response by any country” has to account for international humanitarian law, news agency ANI reported.

Jaishankar speaking at the Carnegie Endowment Centre for International Peace in the United States. (@DrSJaishankar (X))

S Jaishankar was speaking at the Carnegie Endowment Centre for International Peace in the United States on the emerging volatile situation in West Asia. He reiterated India's position that it considers October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants as a “terrorist attack” and said it was the root cause of current tensions in the region.

“We understand that Israel had a need to respond, but we also believe that any response by any country has to take into account international humanitarian law, that it must be careful about any damage or any implications for civilian populations,” said S Jaishankar calling for an international humanitarian effort in the Gaza strip.

The EAM also stressed that India is concerned about all different types of conflicts in West Asia and not just current tensions between Israel-Hamas-Lebanon and Iran.

“Not just what happened in Lebanon, but also, you know, I referred earlier to the Houthis and the Red Sea, and, you know, to some extent, everything that happens between Iran and Israel. So again, it's one thing to be concerned. I'm sure you can say that for a lot of countries,” Jaishankar added.

The minister said India realises the importance of maintaining communication between all sides during “difficult times". “If there are things to be said and passed on and passed back, I think those are all contributions that we can make and we do," Jaishankar said.

Middle East on the brink

Iran launched a barrage of at least 180 ballistic missiles towards Israel's capital Tel Aviv on Tuesday in response to the latter's killing of former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. Tehran's response marked an unprecedented escalation since Israel launched its war on Gaza on October last year.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation to Iran's attack. "Iran made a big mistake tonight - and it will pay for it," Netanyahu said at the outset of an emergency political-security cabinet meeting held inside a secure bunker in Tel Aviv after Iran's attack.

(With inputs from ANI)