The UN special envoy for Syria has said it is “extremely critical” to end the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza to prevent the country from being pulled into a regional conflagration, AFP reports.

“We need now to make sure that we have immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, that we have a ceasefire in Lebanon, and that we avoid Syria being dragged even further into the conflict,” said Geir Otto Pedersen ahead of a meeting with the Syrian foreign minister in Damascus.