Addressing the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which was convened after Iranian drone and missile launches into Israel, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday said the ‘Middle East’ was on the brink, adding that neither the region nor the world can afford more war.

“We have a shared responsibility to work for peace. Regional and indeed global peace and security are being undermined by the hour. Neither the region nor the world can afford more war,” Guterres said in his statement.

“The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate. Now is the time for maximum restraint,” he added.

He also condemned the Iranian air raids into Israel to avenge the attack on its embassy in Syria, which left three of its top military generals dead, while calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

“I strongly condemn the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran this evening. And I call for an immediate cessation of these hostilities,” the UN said.

“I remind all Member States that the Charter of the United Nations prohibit the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations,” he added.

Guterres also dwelt on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, reiterating the UN’s call for immediate ceasefire and unconditional release of all hostages.

“We have a shared responsibility to secure an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid,” he said.

“We have a shared responsibility to stop violence in the occupied West Bank, de-escalate the situation along the Blue Line, and re-establish safe navigation in the Red Sea,” he added.

Following the Iranian strike, Israel put in a request with the United Nations Security Council to immediately convene a meeting to unequivocally condemn Iran and designate its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

Israel said Iran poses a direct threat to the international peace and violated the UN Charter, adding that time has come for the Security Council to address the ‘Iranian threat.’ (ANI)