G7 leaders to discuss Iranian attack in Sunday video meeting

ROME: G7 leaders will hold a video meeting on Sunday to discuss Iran’s attack on Israel late on Saturday. Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7, has called the emergency conference.

“The Italian presidency of the G7 has summoned G7 leaders for a video conference in the early afternoon European time”, the Italian government said after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed deep concern about a further destabilization of the situation in the region and urged to continue work to avoid that threat.

The Iranian attack on late Saturday came after an air strike that killed two generals of the Quds Force among many at Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus on April 1, which Iran suspected that Israel was behind it, has raised the threat of a wider regional conflict in the already war-torn Middle East.

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U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged a coordinated G7 diplomatic response to the drone and missile attack, which he condemned, and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he hoped that the Israeli government show restraint in its response.

“I hope that the Israeli government will adopt a cautious line. I hope that there will be no counterattack to the counterattack,” Tajani told local media. “We are working to avoid a still more serious military crisis,” the Italian Foreign Minister said.

The G7 groups the United States, Canada, Italy, Britain, France, Germany and Japan. Its foreign ministers are scheduled to meet over April 17-19 on the Italian island of Capri.