MOSCOW, December 28 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its concern Wednesday over a new wave of violence in the Middle East following Israel's missile strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.
Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said the strikes, launched Tuesday in response to Palestinian militants' latest rocket attack on a city in northern Israel, could further destabilize the situation in the Middle East.
He called on the sides to exercise restraint and reiterated Russia's commitment to facilitating a settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict.