UN Secretary General urges de-escalation in Middle East

UN Secretary General urges de-escalation in Middle East following this weekend's strike on Israel.

Transcript

00:00 UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is calling for maximum restraint after Iran launched

00:07 more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel early on Sunday. While opening the Security

00:12 Council, Guterres said all had a shared responsibility to de-escalate tensions and work for peace.

00:19 It's time to step back from the brink. It's vital to avoid any action that could lead

00:25 to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East. Civilians are already

00:32 bearing the brunt and paying the highest price. And we have a shared responsibility to actively

00:39 engage all parties concerned to prevent further escalation. White House National Security

00:47 Official John Kirby told US media on Sunday, "President Joe Biden does not want an escalation

00:52 in the regional conflict with Iran and is working on a diplomatic solution."

00:57 This is like a real war. I mean, this is a declaration of war, not because we are restrained

01:05 and because we know the repercussions. And because we have deliberations with our partners,

01:11 we are considering all options and I'm quite confident that we will take the necessary

01:17 steps that are necessary to protect and defend our people. We are not war seekers.

01:25 The push to encourage Israel to show restraint is in line with ongoing US efforts to curtail

01:30 Israel's war against Hamas, now in its seventh month, and to do more to protect civilian

01:36 lives.

01:36 (whooshing)

01:38 (logo thuds)