China's foreign minister tells Israeli counterpart that attacks on Iran must end

BEIJING, March 3 (Reuters) - China opposes the military strikes launched by Israel and the U.S. against Iran ​and demands an immediate cessation of hostilities, Foreign Minister Wang Yi ‌told his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar on Tuesday, according to his ministry.

“Force cannot truly solve problems; instead, it often creates new ​ones and leaves serious long-term consequences. The real ​value of military power lies not on the battlefield ⁠but in preventing war,” it quoted Wang as telling ​Saar in a call.

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Explosions tore through Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday ​and financial markets around the world tumbled at the prospect of a prolonged disruption to global energy supplies from the U.S.-Israeli air war ​against Iran.

Wang told Saar that China believes in resolving ​international and regional issues through dialogue and negotiation and will continue ‌to ⁠play a constructive role in easing the situation.

Tuesday’s call follows three calls the top Chinese diplomat held on Monday with the foreign ministers of Iran, Oman and France, in ​which he urged ​Gulf countries ⁠to unite to oppose external interference.

Wang also spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on ​Sunday about the Iran crisis.

However, Wang has ​not spoken ⁠to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio since the launch of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on ⁠Saturday, ​when Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ​was among a number of senior Iranian officials killed.

Reporting by Shi Bu，Yukun ​Zhang and Ryan Woo Editing by Aidan Lewis and Gareth Jones

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