Australian, Canadian premiers call for de-escalation in Middle East

Australian and Canadian prime ministers on Thursday called for de-escalation in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran.

"The world wants to see a de-escalation," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters alongside his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney in Canberra.

Albanese was responding to a question that the conflict in the Middle East "appears to be widening," according to an official transcript of his comments.

"There needs to be a de-escalation of hostilities. Right now, we have a spreading of hostilities … there needs to be the ending of targeting civilians, civilian infrastructure. Those are necessary conditions before ceasefire can exist," Carney said.

Carney is on an official trip to Australia as part of his three-nation Asia tour.

Both opposed Iran getting nuclear weapons.

Tensions have surged in the Middle East after the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran beginning Feb. 28, killing over 900 people, including Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 165 elementary schoolgirls, according to Iranian authorities.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting US-linked sites in Gulf countries, causing multiple fatalities. At least six US service members have been killed and several others injured.

When asked whether the Five Eyes alliance was still a "viable operating model, Carney said: "There are many challenges, but there are many things that continue to function very well and the Five Eyes would be top of that list."

The Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing alliance comprising the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.