War: UN Human Rights Office seeks restraint in Middle East

The United Nations, UN, Human Rights Office has urged all parties to exercise restraint following a suspected Israeli attack on Iran early Friday.

The spokesman for the UN Human Rights Office, Jeremy Laurence, made the call on Friday in Geneva without naming Israel or Iran.

“We urge all parties to take steps to de-escalate the situation. We call on third states, in particular those with influence, to do all in their power to ensure there is no further deterioration in an already extremely precarious situation,” he added.

He said the agency currently has no further information on the attack.

U.S. media have widely reported that Israel fired at least one missile at Iran early Friday, but Iran downplayed the report, saying that no major damage was inflicted.

The strike follows a large-scale assault by Tehran on Israel at the weekend, involving more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and rockets.

The attack was a retaliation for the attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1.

“We are deeply worried about the potential humanitarian and human rights cost if this escalation leads to wider conflict in the Middle East,” Laurence said.