The UN’s special coordinator for Middle East peace warned that the region was at its “most dangerous juncture” in decades, as the onslaught between Israel and Iran-backed groups risked spiraling into a broader conflict, AFP reports.

“We have now entered the second year of this horrific conflict, and the region is on the verge of yet another serious escalation,” Tor Wennesland told the Security Council.

“Every effort — by all of us — must be made to de-escalate the situation and establish a different trajectory toward greater peace and stability in the region,” he said.

Over a year after Hamas’ unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel prompted the devastating offensive in Gaza, which has now extended to Lebanon, deadly violence “shows no signs of abating,” Wennesland said.

“We are witnessing not only a horrific humanitarian nightmare, but a rapidly accelerated unraveling of the prospects for a sustainable resolution to this conflict.”