"The knot in the Middle East is tightening. I regret the loss of innocent lives. They are just hostages of a disgusting state - the United States. Meanwhile, it is clear to everyone that a full-scale war is the only way to a shaky peace in the region," Medvedev wrote on Telegram.
On Wednesday, Palestinian movement Hamas reported the death of its political leader Ismail Haniyeh as a result of an Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran, where he had arrived to participate in the inauguration of Iran's new president.
The movement blamed Haniyeh's death on Israel and the United States and said the attack would not be left without a response. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said he had nothing to comment on the death of the Hamas political chief and Israel's involvement. Israeli army officials said they do not respond to media reports about Haniyeh's murder. The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli authorities had instructed ministers not to speak out about Haniyeh's death.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov called Haniyeh's death an absolutely unacceptable political assassination that threatens further escalation in the region.
"There is no doubt that Ismail Haniyeh’s killing will have an extremely negative impact on the indirect contacts between Hamas and Israel, which offered a framework for achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on mutually acceptable terms," the Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department’s Deputy Director Andrey Nastasyin
"Russia reiterates its insistent calls on all the parties involved to exercise restraint and avoid any steps that could dramatically worsen the security situation in the region, leading to a large-scale military confrontation," he added.