Washington —

China’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday it was “deeply concerned” about rising tensions in the Middle East.

Hours after Iran fired more than 320 warheads at Israel in retaliation for an alleged attack on Tehran’s embassy in Damascus, China’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling for the immediate implementation of United Nations ceasefire resolutions.

China is deeply concerned about the current escalation of the situation and calls on all parties concerned to maintain calm and restraint to prevent further escalation of the situation. The current situation is the latest expansion of the conflict in Gaza. “

China has sought to play a mediator role in the Middle East and helped broker a deal last year that restored diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

However, Chinese companies have also been cited as suppliers to Iran’s military drone program, most recently in a legal notice from the U.S. Commerce Department last week.

Online criticism of Israel

The attack became the most discussed topic on Weibo, China’s largest social network, with more than 140 million views and more than 23,000 comments within hours of the news being released.

It’s difficult to gauge the true reaction of Chinese internet users because comments are often censored, but most uncensored comments expressed opposition to Israel and the United States and support for Iran’s attacks on Israel.

China’s state-run news agency CCTV News posted a post about the Iranian attack on its Weibo account, which attracted more than 3,700 comments in one day.

Many commentators cast doubt on Israeli reports that only one person was injured in the Iranian strike. A user named “Pikachu and his AD Calcium” said: “Israeli soldiers can only die with permission. There are no deaths or injuries, I don’t believe this news;” Another netizen named “Owen665996” said, “This is clearly Israeli propaganda.”

Israel says its air defense systems, with help from the United States and other countries, shot down 99 percent of the 320 warheads fired from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The White House called the collective defense effort an “incredible military achievement.”

Contrary to the “mainstream” stance, some readers left supportive comments on the official account of the Israeli Embassy in Beijing.

“Come on Israel! The Chinese people consciously support you in fighting terrorists.” said a Weibo user “Minion Master”. Another person with the online name “Hayek Hello” said: “Support Israel to fight back and eradicate the terrorist cult regime!”

The Chinese Embassy in Iran posted on its website in the early morning of April 14, “Chinese citizens and companies in Iran are once again reminded to pay close attention to the local security situation and the security reminders issued by the embassy.”

It urges Chinese citizens to “effectively enhance security awareness, tighten security precautions at all times, and resolutely avoid going to sensitive areas and densely populated places.”