UN chief warns 'alarming disregard for international law' is fueling Middle East crises

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that an "alarming disregard for international law" is fueling a growing number of conflicts and worsening crises across the Middle East, with the region facing "devastating consequences."

"Today, conflicts are increasing in number, complexity, length and scope," Guterres said in remarks to the Security Council on the peaceful settlement of disputes, adding: "Impunity is spreading. Violations are going unanswered."

Warning that "the situation is getting out of control," he said: "It is teetering on the edge of the unimaginable."

Urging the restoration of navigational rights and freedoms around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, he said: "International navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab must be fully restored."

"Diplomacy is the only way forward," Guterres added.

Turning to Gaza, Guterres said civilians continue to pay a heavy price despite a ceasefire, with people being killed in their homes and communities "as Israel increases its control of Gaza."

"At the same time, living conditions remain intolerable, and horrific diseases are spreading, with humanitarian operations heavily impeded," he said.

In the occupied West Bank, Guterres warned of "creeping annexation" amid violence, extensive Israeli military operations, occupiers' expansion, and "large-scale displacement."

"The region is being pulled into an ever-widening circle of confrontation," he said.