UN chief Guterres urges halt to Middle East escalation as Israel strikes Iran

CAIRO – 27 October 2024: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned the escalation between Israel and Iran on Saturday, urging a halt to all military operations in the region subsequent to Israeli strikes on military installations near Tehran.

Guterres reaffirmed his pressing plea to all involved parties to halt military activities, encompassing actions in Gaza and Lebanon, and to dedicate utmost endeavors towards averting an all-out regional war.

Additionally, he emphasized the necessity for a resurgence of diplomatic initiatives.

Israel announced on Saturday launching three waves of pre-dawn strikes against military targets in Iran, in retaliation for a substantial Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel on 1 October.

The United States urged an end to retaliatory strikes between Iran and Israel but said the it will be ready to defend Israel if Iran responds.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Saturday reaffirmed "Tehran's inherent right, under Article 51 of the UN Charter, to self-defense against foreign acts of aggression", the local Tasnim News Agency reported.

The latest escalation comes while the war in Gaza has entered its second year, while Lebanon has endured heavy attacks by Israeli forces over the recent weeks.

Regrettably, both conflicts have exacted a heavy toll on civilian lives, with tens of thousands of fatalities reported.

Expectations are high for the resumption of indirect ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel shortly with the mediation of Egypt, Qatar and the US.

Israeli sources have hinted at an upcoming meeting between CIA Director William Burns and Mossad Director David Barnea in Qatar this week, with the latter set to arrive in Doha on Sunday.

Recent Israeli media reports have circulated details of an Egyptian proposal involving a brief ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of several Israeli captives held by Hamas.

The US is “redoubling” its initiatives to achieve progress in the Gaza talks, leveraging the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Al-Sinwar in Gaza in mid-October.

Since the onset of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have killed 42,924 Palestinians, injured over 100,800 others, according to the health ministry in Gaza on Saturday.

The war also devastated critical infrastructure and pushed the enclave toward the brink of famine.