Middle East on brink of major war, says Norway

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) – Norway warned on Thursday that the Middle East is "on the brink of a major war," describing the situation as “very serious” amid fresh Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon.

“The war in Gaza has almost been going on for a year. In recent weeks, we have seen a further escalation. We are approaching a breaking point. The region is on the brink of a major war, which could involve even more states and create an even greater humanitarian disaster,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.

China earlier called on the UN Security Council to take “urgent actions” to deescalate the situation in the region.

"The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security," Xinhua news agency reported China's permanent representative to the UN, Fu Cong, as saying during a UN Security Council briefing.

Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, especially between Iran and Israel.

"I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation," Guterres wrote on X.

His statement came after Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel amid heightened tensions between the two regional arch-rivals.

Tehran warned that if Israel responds to the missile barrage, it will face more “crushing attacks.”

Iranian missile attack and Tel Aviv’s announcement of retaliation have raised concerns that the region could be caught up in a wider conflict.