G7 Summit meets to discuss Middle East conflict

Italian Vice President of the Council of Ministers Antonio Tajani on Thursday kicked off a session of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Capri, Italy to discuss the situation in Gaza. Leaders from the group, which includes seven of the world’s most advanced economies, have been meeting in Italy since Tuesday, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.

What are the leaders trying to achieve? The leaders are seeking to prevent the war in Gaza from escalating to a broader conflict across the Middle East after Iran’s “unprecedented” attack last week on Israel, according to a statement by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Israel has promised to respond to Iran’s attacks.

What does Iran have to say? On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in a phone call that Iran’s actions were legitimate and aimed to punish Israel. Iran has accused Israel of attacking a building on the property of its consulate in Damascus, Syria, killing seven Iranian officials.

What else will the G7 leaders discuss? The leaders will also discuss the war in Ukraine and matters in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Baerbock. They will also address the situation in Haiti, the U.S. State Department said.

Is anything going on with the G20? Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad on Thursday spoke at the second meeting of G20 finance ministers and Central Bank presidents in Washington, D.C. During his speech he called for international economies to act to reduce carbon emissions to help combat climate change and its effects on vulnerable people groups.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Riechard’s conversation with William Inboden on The World and Everything in It podcast about Iran’s miscalculation in attacking Israel.