Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi discussed with his counterparts in Egypt, Qatar and China on Tuesday how to stop the escalation in the region, amid anticipation of an Iranian response to the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.

This came during phone calls with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Badr Abdel Aati, Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and China, Wang Yi, according to statements from the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Safadi and Abdel Aati stressed that "halting the Israeli aggression on Gaza is the first step towards reducing the escalation and protecting the region from the consequences of sliding into a regional war."

The two ministers held Israel "fully responsible for the dangerous escalation witnessed in the region."

They also stressed "the need for the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and oblige Israel to stop the aggression on Gaza, respect international law, and stop its escalatory measures."

While Safadi discussed with his Qatari counterpart "the serious deterioration witnessed by the region as a result of Israel's continued aggression against Gaza and its violations of international law, and the repercussions of the assassination of the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last week."

The two ministers stressed that "halting the aggression on Gaza represents the first step towards defusing the tension and escalation that threaten to push the entire region towards more conflict and wars."

In his call with the Chinese minister, Safadi said, "The dangerous escalation witnessed by the region will worsen unless Israel stops its aggression on Gaza and stops its violations of international law."

He considered that "stopping the aggression on Gaza is the basis for efforts to stop the escalation and prevent the region from sliding into a regional war."

For his part, the Chinese Foreign Minister stressed his "support for the Palestinian people's right to freedom and an independent, sovereign state on its national soil in accordance with the two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli)."

Safadi thanked his Chinese counterpart for "his country's clear positions in supporting Palestinian rights and condemning the aggression on Gaza and Israel's violations of international law."

Tel Aviv is awaiting a joint response from Iran and Hezbollah after the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, and the Israeli army’s announcement that it had assassinated Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in a bombing that targeted a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut last week.