UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday painted a dark picture of the situation in the Middle East, warning that spiralling tensions over the war in Gaza and Iran’s attack on Israel could devolve into a “full-scale regional conflict”.
Guterres also said Israel’s military offensive on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, in retaliation for their unprecedented Oct 7 attack on Israel, had created a “humanitarian hellscape” for civilians trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory.
“The Middle East is on a precipice. Recent days have seen a perilous escalation – in words and deeds,” Guterres told a high-level Security Council meeting, with several foreign ministers present, including from Jordan and Iran.
“One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable – a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved,” he said, calling on all parties to exercise “maximum restraint.”
