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'Return of war serves no one's interests' - Beijing urges restraint as Israel and Iran trade strikes

"Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian called for restraint on Monday after Israel and Iran exchanged missile strikes for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took effect in April, stressing that the 'return of war serves no one's interests.' "We hope relevant parties will continue to implement the ceasefire, keep the negotiation going, resolve disputes through political and diplomatic means, [and] achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire at an early date," Lin said during a press briefing in. Beijing. Turning to Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Lin said that any further information about the leader's trip would be shared at a later time. Iran launched missiles against Israel on Sunday - with Tehran saying it was responding to the latest IDF attacks on Beirut - while Israel defied US President Donald Trump's call to stand down. On Sunday, President Trump announced via a post on Truth Social that Israel and Iran are 'looking to do an immediate ceasefire,' adding: "Final negotiations on 'peace' are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way." Monday marks the 100th day of the very first US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February. Iran responded by launching attacks on its Gulf neighbours - saying it was targeting US assets - while those Arab countries in the region, including the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and others, condemned Tehran's strikes as a violation of sovereignty, and a threat to regional security."