French President Macron appeals for 'restraint' in "Middle East"

France's President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he had spoken to the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and all three had urged "restraint" to avoid an escalation in the Middle East.

"I have spoken to President Mohamed bin Zayed and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the situation in the Middle East. We call on all actors to be responsible and show restraint to avoid a regional conflagration," he wrote in a social media post.

"An escalation is in no one's interest," he said.

Fears have grown of a retaliation against Israel after the killing of the political chief of Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, on Wednesday in Tehran, for which Iran and its allies have blamed Israel.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have often supported opposing sides in regional conflicts.

After a seven-year rupture, the two Middle East powers however resumed relations after a surprise China-brokered deal last year.

The United Arab Emirates in 2020 normalised its relations with Iran's sworn enemy Israel as part of the so-called Abraham Accords.

Haniyeh's killing comes almost 10 months into an Israeli military offensive that has ravaged the Gaza Strip, and was sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel.