Brazil said Wednesday it "strongly condemns the murder" of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and called for global efforts to prevent the Middle East from sinking into a wider conflict, AFP reported.
Brazil, which holds the rotating presidency of the G20, said it "rejects the flagrant violation of Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity, in clear violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter."
These acts of violence "further hinder the possibilities of a political solution to the conflict in Gaza," the foreign ministry said in a statement, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has said Haniyeh was killed by an Israeli strike. Israel has declined to comment on the attack in Tehran.
In another statement published earlier Wednesday, the Brazilian government also condemned "the air strike carried out by Israel on July 30 on a residential neighborhood in Beirut."
The Israeli army said it had "eliminated" a senior Hezbollah official on Tuesday evening in the strike on the stronghold of the powerful pro-Iranian group, in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.
Brazil's foreign ministry said it was following escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah "with extreme concern".
The statement urged the international community to mobilize to "make every possible effort to promote dialogue and contain the escalation of hostilities."
Relations between the Brazilian and Israeli governments are very tense.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza and Israel has declared him "persona non grata".
