New York, April 2 -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a dire alert regarding the worsening crisis in the Middle East, demanding an immediate conclusion to the "spiral of death and destruction" currently engulfing the region.

Speaking to reporters in New York on Thursday, the UN chief emphasised that the persistence of the conflict is leading to an expansion of "human suffering and devastation," as well as a rise in "indiscriminate attacks" that threaten global stability.

Guterres warned that the world is currently "on the edge of a wider war" that could potentially "engulf the Middle East," with far-reaching and "dramatic impacts around the globe."

He noted that the consequences of the hostilities have moved...