Iran launched dozens of ballistic missiles toward Israel on Friday night in retaliation for Israel's surprise attack early Friday.

Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday after Israel pelted Iran with a series of strikes.

By Andrew Osborn and Alexander Marrow (Reuters) -Russian leader Vladimir Putin told Iran's president over the phone on Friday that Moscow condemned Israeli actions against Tehran, and in a separate telephone conversation told Israel's prime minister that only diplomacy could resolve issues around Iran's nuclear programme.

US President Donald Trump has said he supports the idea of Russian leader and war criminal Vladimir Putin potentially mediating between Israel and Iran. Source: Trump in a comment to ABC News, as reported by European Pravda Details: Trump stated that he would be "open" to the Kremlin ruler acting as a mediator in the conflict between Israel and

Israel's attack on Iran is a "blueprint" for how World War Three would unfold, according to Anthony Glees, an academic in security and defence and a lecturer at the University of Buckingham

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in separate telephone conversations on Friday, told Iran's president that Moscow condemned Israel's actions against Tehran and told Israel's prime minister that questions around Iran's nuclear programme could only be solved through diplomacy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke separately with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 13, amid a sweeping Israeli air assault on Iran that killed top military officials and targeted the country's nuclear infrastructure.