The US wants to “lower the temperature in the Middle East,” the country’s UN ambassador said, as fears of an Iranian retaliatory strike against Israel grow, the BBC reports.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday that the US wanted to “deter and defend against any future attack and avoid a regional conflict”.
She called for the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement.
“A larger regional conflict is not inevitable,” she said.
“The primary objective of the United States remains to calm tensions in the region, deter and repel future attacks, and prevent regional conflict,” she added.
“That starts with reaching an agreement on an immediate ceasefire with the release of the hostages in Gaza. We have to get that across the finish line.”
But Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour accused the Security Council of not doing enough to stop the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.
“Wake up. Stop making excuses. Stop believing you can reason with the Israeli government to stop killing thousands of civilians, causing famines, torturing prisoners, colonizing and annexing our land while you appeal to them, urging them to stop,” Mansour said.
Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan, in turn, said the Israeli military had taken all possible measures to minimize collateral damage and accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
He also criticized the UN Security Council for not condemning Iran’s actions.
