UN Assistant Secretary-General for Asia and the Middle East Khaled Khiari. UN Security Council Assistant Secretary-General: Israel and Iran must ‘stop testing each other’s limits of restraint’ Peace and Security
The latest exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran could “plunge the region into uncertainty,” UN Assistant Secretary-General for Asia and the Middle East Khaled Khiari told the UN Security Council. He stressed that the region urgently needs de-escalation.
“I join the Secretary-General in condemning all acts of escalation. Such actions must stop. Bellicose and threatening rhetoric must stop,” he said.
“Both sides must stop testing each other’s limits of restraint and act in the interests of peace and stability in the region,” he added.
On October 26, the Israel Defense Forces announced that it had carried out “precision strikes against military targets in Iran” in response to Iran’s attack on Israel on October 1. Tehran said most of the missiles were intercepted by its air defense system. Four Iranian officers and one civilian were killed, according to Iranian authorities. There was also “limited and minor damage” to several radar systems.
Prevent a full-scale regional war
The past year has brought untold suffering to people across the Middle East, Khiari said. He recalled the destruction in Gaza and the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that continued over the weekend. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported 28 deaths in the south on October 27 and 28, while Israel reported five IDF reservists killed on October 26.
“I reiterate the Secretary-General’s consistent calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and accountability for crimes against international law,” Khiari said.
He called on all parties to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy and to prevent a full-scale regional war.