The United Nations chief has called for an immediate halt to all
hostile acts and provocative actions to “avoid a new
conflagration” in the Middle East, following reported exchanges
of artillery fire over the Golan Heights.
According to media reports, the Israeli military attacked Iranian
military installations in neighbouring Syria in retaliation for
an Iranian-instigated rocket barrage on Israeli positions in the
Golan.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres “followed, with utmost
concern, reports overnight of missile launches from Syria
targeting Israeli positions and retaliatory strikes by the Israel
Defense Forces,” said his Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, in a
statement issued on Thursday.
Mr. Guterres “notes, with relief, today’s partial normalization
of the situation,” and “urges for an immediate halt to all
hostile acts and any provocative actions to avoid a new
conflagration in the region already embroiled in terrible
conflicts with immense suffering of civilians,” added the
statement.
The Golan was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, and
in 1974, a UN observer force was set up to monitor the ceasefire
reached that year by Israel and Syria.
Mr. Dujarric noted that the UN Disengagement Observer Force
(UNDOF) has maintained contact with forces of both sides during
the latest hostilities and urged them to exercise “maximum
restraint” and abide by their obligations under the 1974
agreement.
