New York, Sept. 22 -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday (local time) launched a pointed appeal to world leaders assembled for the UN General Assembly, warning that diplomatic inaction and fragile truces are failing to protect innocent populations across West Asia.

Addressing the global community in a direct statement posted on X, the UN chief highlighted the rapid expansion of violence across multiple fronts, observing that the conflicts in West Asia are "cascading."

He forcefully rejected temporary pauses in violence as insufficient answers to the growing crisis.

"Across the Middle East, conflicts are cascading. So-called ceasefires have amounted to little more than "lesser fires" - with civilians continuing...