TEHRAN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that Israel is the cause of regional instability, rejecting the charges against Iran for the recent rising tensions.

"It is indeed the occupying and aggressive Zionist regime (of Israel) that has seriously jeopardized the region's security, stability, and peace and must be blamed for that," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.

He was in response to the German government's stance on Tehran's role in the escalation of tensions with Israel.

The allegations about Iran's role in the recent downing of an Israeli fighter by Syria are "baseless," Qasemi said.

The Israeli F-16 fighter crashed on Saturday while carrying out airstrikes against alleged Iranian and Syrian military targets inside Syria, after an Israeli helicopter intercepted an Iranian drone intruding into its space.

Iran basically sees no need for rising tensions and conflict in the region, Qasemi stressed.

However, he said Syria has the legal right to defend its territorial integrity and national sovereignty against any aggression.

Qasemi urged the international community to "take a major and big step against the occupation, repeated aggressions and destabilizing moves of the Zionist regime."