Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday, urging an immediate end to hostilities in the Middle East, the Kremlin said.
During the phone call, Putin expressed condolences over the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, members of his family, and representatives of the country's military and political leadership, as well as the numerous civilian casualties, as a result of the U.S.-Israeli armed aggression against Iran.
Putin reaffirmed Russia's principled position that hostilities should cease immediately and that the use of force to resolve issues on Iran and across the Middle East must be abandoned, calling for a swift return to political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict, according to the Kremlin.
Putin also noted that he has been in constant contact with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries regarding the situation.
For his part, Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its solidarity with the Iranian people in defending the sovereignty and independence of their homeland and briefed Putin in detail on the developments in the current phase of the conflict.
The two sides agreed to continue contacts through various channels, the Kremlin said.
Putin urges end to Middle East hostilities in phone call with Iranian president
Multiple buildings in Israel's Tel Aviv have been damaged as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continue to counterattack on Israel and the United States to retaliate their military operation over the past week.
In the city of Tel Aviv, sirens warning residents to take cover have blared across the city repeatedly.
Some residents took cover in underground shelters while others chose to leave the city to avoid the conflict.
Having stayed away from the city for several days, Idan and his family still witnessed strikes from Iran when they came back.
"I chose to get away from the city. After Saturday, we sat in the shelter for 8 hours, back and forth, so we got in the car and we went to the Dead Sea to a hotel. [After] just a little bit of relaxation, this happened. Also, the last time, it was next to my house. It was very scary," said the local resident.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said on Friday that it has launched a large number of Khorramshahr-4, Kheibar and Fattah missiles towards Israeli and U.S. targets in its 22nd wave of attacks. Also on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces said it struck more than 400 targets across western Iran over the course of the day, including ballistic missile launchers and drone storage facilities.
At least 1,332 Iranian civilians, including women and children, have been killed in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes and thousands more have been injured in the attacks, Iran's UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said on Friday.
Iranian strikes on Tel Aviv continue
