<p>MOSCOW &mdash; Russia called Wednesday for a quick meeting of international mediators to help defuse the spiraling Israeli-Palestinian conflict.</p>
<p>Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it is necessary to call an urgent meeting of the so-called Quartet of mediators, which includes the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.</p>
<p>Lavrov made the statement after talks with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, emphasizing that a quick ministerial meeting of the Quartet is “the most acute task now.” He voiced hope that Guterres could help convene such a meeting.</p>
<p>Israeli airstrikes struck apartment towers and blasted multiple Hamas security installations Wednesday, while militants fired rocket barrages in the worst violence in the region since a 2014 war. Dozens have been killed in the latest fighting.</p>
<p>Guterres said that “we are totally committed to revitalizing the Quartet.”</p>
<p>“We are totally committed to promote all forms of dialogue by the parties and by other key actors that can be supportive of all the measures necessary for de-escalation but also for the revitalization of the peace process that has been dormant for too much time,” he added.</p>