End cycle of retaliation in West Asia: UN chief Antonio Guterres

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has called for an end to "stop the dangerous cycle of retaliation" in West Asia, his spokespersons said on 19 April.

"The Secretary-General reiterates that it is high time to stop the dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East," said Stephane Dujarric, his spokesman, in a statement issued on Friday after reports that Israel had carried out strikes on Iranian targets, the Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Secretary-General condemns any act of retaliation and appeals to the international community to work together to prevent any further development that could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond," Dujarric added.

Tehran, which last week launched large-scale retaliatory attacks on Israel following Israel's bombing of its consulate in Syria, has played down Friday's attack.