PARIS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called for a de-escalation in the Middle East after Israel and Iran traded overnight missile strikes over Syria.

"The president calls for a de-escalation in the situation," said a statement by the Elysee.

In a visit to Germany, Macron discussed the situation in the Middle East in a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and expressed concerns over the tension in the region fuelled by U.S. withdrawal from 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

According to a statement by the Israeli Defense Forces, Israeli fighter jets struck dozens of Iranian military targets in Syria early Thursday in response to a rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).