UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for maximum restraint, warning that the entire Middle East is on the brink of a full-scale war following Iran’s drone and missile strike on Israel over the weekend.
The attack came in retaliation for an airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascuss, Syria where seven members of Iran’s military were killed earlier this month.
RT reports: The entire region is facing a devastating conflict after these events, Guterres warned. “Now is the time to defuse and deescalate,” he said, urging “maximum restraint.”
It’s time to step back from the brink. It’s vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East.
Guterres also urged for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where over 33,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes over the past six months, according to local health officials. West Jerusalem declared war and vowed to annihilate the Gaza-based militant group Hamas after it conducted a surprise raid on Israeli soil, killing more than 1,100 people and taking around 250 hostages. The UN has previously warned that the deteriorating humanitarian situation and inadequate flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza is leading to starvation among the displaced civilian population of the enclave.
The UN chief called for the unconditional release of all hostages, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, and the reestablishment of safe navigation in the Red Sea, which is currently hampered by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The group has been attacking shipping in the region in solidarity with the Palestinians, vowing to continue until the Gaza siege is broken.
With “regional and indeed global peace and security” undermined, Guterres said, “neither the region nor the world can afford more war.”