MOSCOW, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the latest escalation in the Middle East and called on all parties to show restraint during a telephone call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Tuesday.

Putin expressed his hope that all sides would show reasonable restraint and prevent further confrontation, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Raisi has in turned emphasized that Iran's actions had been "forced and limited in nature," and confirmed that the country is disinterested in further escalating tensions.

Both leaders agreed that the underlying cause of the heightened tensions in the Middle East is the unresolved Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

"The principled approaches of Russia and Iran were confirmed in favor of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip," which would ease the dire humanitarian situation and pave the way for a diplomatic settlement of the crisis, the Kremlin said.

Iran and allied armed groups launched coordinated drone and missile strikes on Israel late Saturday night in retaliation for a deadly assault on the Iranian consulate in Syria about two weeks ago. The escalation has further heightened fears of a wider regional conflict.