In the wake of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that while New Delhi understands Israel’s need to respond, it also believes any response by any country must take into account international humanitarian law.
“We understand that Israel has 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 Dr Jaishankar.
The minister made the remarks while speaking at Carnegie Endowment Centre for International Peace in the United States.
The remarks also came in the backdrop of Iran’s missile attack on Israel and the latter’s warning of consequences.
Commenting further on the issue, Dr Jaishankar stated that New Delhi is concerned about the overall situation in West Asia and not just the Israel-Lebanon war.
“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,” he added.
India has adopted a balanced approach, calling for an end to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza Strip and peaceful resolution of the conflict in West Asia, involving Israel, Lebanon and Iran.