Russia condemned the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and called on all parties to refrain from steps that could tip the Middle East into a major conflict, Reuters reports.

“We strongly condemn the murder of the head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, as a result of a rocket attack on his residence in Tehran,” Andrei Nastasin, deputy spokesman of Russia’s foreign ministry told reporters.

“It is obvious that the organisers of this political assassination were aware of the dangerous consequences this action is fraught with for the entire region.”

Russia, he said, had paid attention to the fact that the killing took place in Iran.

“We urge all parties involved to exercise restraint and abandon any steps that could lead to a dramatic degradation of the security situation in the region and provoke a large-scale armed confrontation,” Nastasin said.