FALCON POWERS – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for urgent action to stop the escalation in the Middle East, amid concerns of an expansion of the Gaza war.
Türk said in a statement: “I am deeply concerned about the growing risk of a larger-scale conflict breaking out in the Middle East,” appealing to “all parties as well as states with influence to act urgently to de-escalate the situation, which has become dangerously volatile.”
Türk reminded the parties that human rights and the protection of civilians must be the top priorities, stressing that civilians, mostly women and children, have already endured “unbearable pain and suffering” from the bombs and weapons over the past ten months.
The UN Human Rights Commissioner said: “Everything, and I mean everything, must be done to prevent this situation from spiraling into a abyss that will only lead to even more horrific consequences for civilians.”
Tensions have escalated between the Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel since Tel Aviv assassinated the group’s senior military commander, Fouad Shukr, in an air strike on a Beirut suburb on July 30.
