New York [US], March 13 (ANI): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed serious concern over the escalating crisis in West Asia, warning that the situation poses a major threat to global peace and security.

In a post on X, Guterres said the unfolding conflict has caused immense suffering for civilians and urged all sides to move towards de-escalation and dialogue.

'The unfolding crisis in the Middle East constitutes a grave threat to international peace and security and has caused immense suffering for civilians,' he said.

https://x.com/antonioguterres/status/2032140256322216266

Calling for an immediate end to hostilities, the UN chief emphasised that diplomacy remains the only viable path forward.

'De-escalation and dialogue are the only way out,' Guterres said, urging all parties to cease hostilities, uphold international law, protect civilians and return immediately to negotiations.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, alleged that the Israeli government assassinated four senior Iranian diplomats in what he described as a 'heinous crime' in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the envoy said that on March 8, the Israeli government had carried out a targeted strike at the Ramada Hotel in Beirut, claiming the lives of the victims. Iravani noted that after the IDF had publicly threatened to target Iranian official representatives in Lebanon, the diplomats had been temporarily relocated to the hotel as a safety measure.

In his letter, the ambassador alleged that the assassination of the diplomats 'while serving as official representatives of a sovereign state in the territory of another sovereign state is a heinous act of terrorism and a grave violation of international law.'

He further claimed that such a 'flagrant breach' of the UN Charter and the 1973 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons could not go unpunished.

Earlier, United Nations Secretary-General Guterres called for an immediate halt to hostilities and urgent de-escalation in the Middle East, urging world leaders to 'act responsibly'.

During the emergency meeting to address the situation in Iran and the Middle East, Guterres said, 'Let's act responsibly & together to pull the region & our world back from the brink.'

He said, 'military action carries the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region in the world.'

Guterres called for immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation in the Middle East. (ANI)