Jaishankar speaks to UAE counterpart, discusses 'crisis' in West Asia

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday spoke to his counterpart from the UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discussed the 'crisis' in West Asia triggered by the attacks on Israel by Hamas militants and Tel Aviv's counter offensive. Jaishankar is currently on a visit to Sri Lanka.

'Spoke to Foreign Minister @ABZayed of UAE this evening. Discussed the ongoing crisis in West Asia. Agreed to stay in touch,' the External Affairs Minister said in a post on X.

The multi-pronged attacks against Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza since Saturday and the subsequent Israeli retaliation have left over 1,200 people dead triggering mounting global concerns.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that people of India stand firmly with his country in this difficult hour, expressing strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

Netanyahu called up Modi to update him on the ongoing situation.