United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded with Security Council members to avoid a “full-scale conflict” in the Middle East as tensions rise between Israel and Iran.
Guterres’s comments came after Israel called an emergency meeting with members on Sunday in the wake of Iran’s drone and missile barrage against Israel. Most of the hundreds of drones and missiles were shot down by Israel and its allies, including United States forces.
“The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict,” Guterres wrote on X, paraphrasing what he told reporters at the scene. “Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate. Now is the time for maximum restraint. Now is the time to step back from the brink.”
Guterres also “strongly” condemned the “serious escalation” of Iran’s attack, adding, “I call for an immediate cessation of these hostilities.”
Iranian Ambassador to the U.N. Saeid Iravani has claimed that Iran hasn’t violated any U.N. rules because the country was acting in self-defense. Saturday’s drone attack was a response to a missile attack on April 1 that the Iranian government has blamed on Israel, even though the Jewish state hasn’t claimed responsibility, he said.
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President Joe Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reportedly discouraged a counterattack against Iran. He classified the incident as a “win” since the missiles were intercepted.
Israeli schools will be closed through April 15 across the country amid the risk of further attacks, while most workplaces and other gatherings are allowed everywhere except the Gaza Envelope and the confrontation line between Israel and Gaza.
