[Regnum] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres considers the assassination of the head of the Palestinian Hamas Politburo Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, as well as Israel's strikes on Beirut, a dangerous escalation of the situation in the Middle East, Stephane Dujarric, the official representative of the head of the world organization, said at a briefing on July 31.
"The Secretary-General believes that the attacks we have seen in southern Beirut and Tehran represent a dangerous escalation at a time when all efforts should be directed towards a ceasefire in Gaza," he said.
Dujarric added that the UN Secretary General calls for maximum restraint and for working towards de-escalation in the region.
As reported by Regnum news agency, on July 30, Israeli Air Force aircraft fired four missiles at targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut, destroying a residential building. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, three people were killed and 85 were injured. It was later reported that the body of Hezbollah commander Fuanda Shukr was found after the Israeli army's missile strike.
On the night of July 31, 61-year-old Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed in a rocket attack on a house in Tehran. Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Mahmoud Takh blamed Israel and the United States for Haniyeh's murder. He said the attack had been coordinated with Washington.
The Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the attack on Haniyeh. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, a political assassination was committed that will further escalate tensions in the region.