UN calls for restraint following Iran consulate attack in Syria

A senior UN official urged the Security Council to work to avert further escalation in the Middle East following the deadly airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria's capital, Damascus. Assistant Secretary General Khaled Khiari stressed late Tuesday the need for restraint, saying "We appeal to the Council today, as we do every month, to continue to actively engage all concerned parties to prevent further escalation and the worsening of tensions that undermine regional peace and security." "The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States must be respected in accordance with international law," stated Khiari. "The rules-based international order is essential for international peace and security, which this Council is mandated to maintain." He recalled that the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has kept the Council apprised of the unrelenting violence in the country, which recently marked 13 years of war. "Among them, increasingly lethal attacks on Iran-linked targets in Syria have been attributed to Israel, especially since the current conflict with Hamas in Gaza began on 7 October. Open sources have reported at least a dozen such attacks since the beginning of this year," he said. "While Israel has rarely claimed responsibility for any of these incidents, its officials have repeatedly acknowledged its military operations in Syria and have suggested that more such operations will occur in the future," he added, underlining the need for the Council's continued engagement. "Any miscalculation could lead to broader conflict in an already volatile region, with devastating consequences for civilians who are already seeing unprecedented suffering in Syria, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and the broader Middle East," he said. "At a time of heightened violence and dangers in the region, instead of escalations, actors should be strictly respecting their obligations under international law. It is vital that all concerned exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation," he con cluded. Source: Kuwait News Agency