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António Guterres says ‘the Middle East is on the brink’ and the region is ‘confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict’
It’s 2:47am in Tehran and 2:17am in Tel Aviv and Gaza. Welcome to our latest blog on the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on members not to further escalate tensions with reprisals against Iran, at a meeting of the UN security council called in the wake of Iran’s attack on Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces announced that it intercepted a UAV that approached Israel earlier this evening. In a post on X, the IDF wrote: “A Sa’ar 6-class corvette successfully intercepted a UAV that approached Israeli territory from the south-east using the ‘C-Dome’ Defense System earlier this evening.”
UN chief António Guterres called for maximum restraint on Sunday following Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel, Reuters reports. In a UN security council meeting, Guterres said: “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.”
Jordan’s prime minister Bisher Khasawneh said that escalation in the region would lead to “dangerous paths,” Reuters reports. Speaking to the Jordanian cabinet, Khasawneh said. “The army will respond to anything that will jeopardise the security and safety of the kingdom and the sanctity of its airspace and territory in the face of any danger from any party with all the available means.”
The G7 has released the following statement on Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel: “We, the leaders of the G7, unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s direct and unprecedented attack against Israel … We express our full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirm our commitment towards its security.”
Jordan has summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest against Iran’s comments which were regarded by Jordan as an interference in the kingdom’s internal affairs, Reuters reports. Speaking to Jordan’s state-owned Mamlaka news outlet, Safadi referred to comments made by Iranian official media which warned that Jordan would be the next target in the event it cooperated with Israel in a showdown with Iran.
A senior Joe Biden administration official has told reporters on Sunday: “We are committed to defending Israel. We would not be a part of any response they do. This is a very consistent policy.” “Our aim is to de-escalate regional tensions. We do not want a broader regional conflict. Our focus has been to contain this crisis,” the official added.
Iran’s action against Israel was a “legitimate act of self-defence,” Syria’s foreign minister Faisal Mekdad told his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a phone call on Sunday. Syrian state media SANA further reports: “It is a legitimate right to self-defence against this racist Zionist entity, which does not respect international law and will, nor the Charter of the United Nations.”
US air carrier United Airlines has cancelled Sunday’s planned flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Tel Aviv after rising regional tensions, Reuters reports. The flight was set to take off from Newark at 3:20pm local time and land in Tel Aviv at 8:55am local time.
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