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HAMILTON, Canada 

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres expressed profound “alarm" on Wednesday about the latest escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran amid an exchange of airstrikes.

"I remain profoundly alarmed by the ongoing military escalation in the Middle East, between Israel and Iran," Guterres said in a statement via his spokesperson's office.

Reiterating his call for "an immediate de-escalation leading to a ceasefire," Guterres said: "I strongly appeal to all to avoid any further internationalization of the conflict."

"Any additional military interventions could have enormous consequences, not only for those involved but for the whole region and for the peace and security at large,"

Condemning the "tragic and unnecessary loss of lives and injuries to civilians" as well as to civil infrastructure, the UN chief reaffirmed that "diplomacy remains the best and only way to address concerns regarding Iran's nuclear programme and regional security issues."

"The UN Charter remains our shared framework to save people from the scourge of war," he said, urging "all member states to comply fully with the charter and international law, including international humanitarian law."

In response to a question about if Guterres is worried about a possible US strike on an Iranian nuclear facility, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that the UN chief is "very concerned" and reiterated the need to "avoid any further internationalization" of the conflict.

Regional tensions have escalated since Friday, when Israel launched airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

At least 585 people have been killed and 1,326 injured in Iran since Israel launched the attacks.

Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks.