China urges world powers to prevent M East war

BEIJING, Oct 02 (AFP/AP/Reuters): China urged world powers on Wednesday to prevent the situation in the Middle East from "further deteriorating" following the latest escalation in the region.
"The Chinese side calls on the international community, especially major influential powers, to truly play a constructive role and prevent the situation from further deteriorating," a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.
"The Chinese side is deeply concerned about the turmoil in the Middle East," the online statement said.
Israel has vowed to make Iran "pay" for firing a barrage of missiles at its territory and warned on Wednesday it would launch an even bigger attack if it is targeted.
Iran launched its second direct attack on Israel in history on Tuesday, firing what it said were 200 missiles, including hypersonic weapons, that sent Israeli civilians into shelters.
Israel, which put the number of missiles at 180, bombarded Lebanese strongholds of Iran ally Hezbollah, with heavy strikes on south Beirut early on Wednesday.
Iran threatens to hit all Israel
infrastructure if attacked
Iran's chief of staff on Wednesday vowed to hit infrastructure across Israel if its territory is attacked, after Tehran fired around 200 missiles at its arch-foe.
The barrage "will be repeated with bigger intensity and all infrastructure of the regime will be targeted", Major General Mohammad Bagheri said on state TV.
On the streets of Tehran, a small crowd celebrated Iran's missile attack on Israel while others are worried about the consequences of the Islamic Republic's boldest move yet in a year of escalating Middle East conflict.
Local media carried footage of what Iran said were 200 missiles as they were fired towards Israel on Tuesday evening, while state television played upbeat music over the images and showed crowds of a few hundred people celebrating the attacks in the capital and other cities across the country.
Some carried the yellow flag of Hezbollah, Iran's ally in Lebanon, as well as portraits of its chief Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in an Israeli air strike last week.
Netanyahu vows to retaliate
against Iran's missile attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against Iran after what he described as a serious miscalculation.
His statement came in response to Iran launching over 180 missiles into Israel on Tuesday, marking a sharp escalation in the conflict between the two nations and their regional allies, raising concerns of a broader Middle East war.
Iran claimed the missile strike was in retaliation for recent Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah, a militant group supported by Iran, has been launching rockets into Israel since the onset of the Gaza conflict.
Earlier that day, Israel initiated a limited ground offensive in southern Lebanon.
US condemns Iran
attack on Israel
The United States warned Iran that it would face severe consequences for its ballistic missile attack on Israel on Tuesday, saying the barrage marked a significant escalation but appeared to have been thwarted.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said US military forces in the region helped Israel defeat the attack and that the Biden administration was consulting with Israel on a response.
"This is a significant escalation by Iran, a significant event," Sullivan told reporters at the White House. "We have made clear that there will be consequences, severe consequences, for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case."
Sullivan did not specify what those consequences might be, but he stopped short of urging restraint by Israel as the US did in April when Iran carried out a drone and missile attack on Israel.