What's happened
Russian President Vladimir Putin has advised Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei to respond cautiously to Israel's suspected assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. This follows heightened tensions after recent attacks, with Iran vowing retaliation while seeking military support from Russia.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Times of Israel, Putin's message to Khamenei was delivered by Sergei Shoigu, emphasizing the need for restraint to avoid triggering a major conflict. The Moscow Times highlighted Shoigu's visit as a crucial diplomatic effort amid fears of war following Haniyeh's assassination. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has warned of the risks of a regional conflict, stressing that Iran's response will be pivotal in determining the situation's trajectory.
How we got here
The situation escalated after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which Iran attributes to Israel. This incident follows the killing of Hezbollah's military chief, raising fears of a broader conflict in the region.
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Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
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Tehran is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With a population of around 8.7 million in the city and 15 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and Western Asia, and has the third-largest m
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Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Covering an area of 17,125,200 square kilometres, it is the largest country in the world by area, spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's in
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Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh is a senior political leader of Hamas and formerly one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority. Haniyeh became prime minister after Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections of 2006.