China urges swift actions from U.N. Security Council on Middle East situation

China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Fu Cong on Monday urged the U.N. Security County to take all necessary actions as fast as possible to deal with the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Addressing a Security Council meeting, Fu said facts have proved that any delay of the U.N. Security Council only means greater damage and more civilian deaths and injuries.

After the United States vetoed a latest U.N. Security Council draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza Strip on Nov. 20, hundreds of civilians have died and the situation is slipping to a more dangerous direction, Fu said.

Fu stressed that immediate effort should be made to achieve unconditional and long-lasting ceasefire, which is an important prerequisite for saving lives. He added that barriers to humanitarian aid access must be removed. The implementation of international humanitarian law is a non-negotiable obligation and cannot be used as a bargaining chip. Any unilateral attempts trying to undermine the two-state solution must be resisted.

Fu pointed out the U.N. Security Council must prevent a larger-scale regional conflict. The current situation in the Middle East is precarious. Israel must put aside its obsession with the use of force, stop its attacks against Lebanon, Syria, Iran and other countries, and stop its provocative and adventurous actions.

"The ongoing Gaza conflict is the biggest stress test the United Nations has ever faced in the Middle East. We believe it first tests the U.N. Security Council members' ability to save lives and maintain peace, the determination to uphold the international rule of law and justice, and the willingness to defend the authority of the U.N. Security Council mechanism and its resolutions," Fu said.

"So far, due to the negative attitude of some countries, the Security Council's performance in this test has been incompetent. We call on some countries to face up to their responsibilities and support the Security Council in using all the options in its toolbox to take further action to achieve an immediate ceasefire and restore peace," he said.

China urges swift actions from U.N. Security Council on Middle East situation

China urges swift actions from U.N. Security Council on Middle East situation

China urges swift actions from U.N. Security Council on Middle East situation

China urges swift actions from U.N. Security Council on Middle East situation

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on Tuesday that if the U.S. army crosses the red line in attacking civilian targets, Iran's response "will go beyond the region."

In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said: "We will not hesitate to retaliate vile aggressions against civilian facilities."

It came as tensions rose on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump made a social media post in which he threatened Iran's "whole civilization will die tonight," if they fail to meet the deadline he had set to reach a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, signaling a possible sharp escalation of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

On the same day, the IRGC announced that as part of the 99th wave of its ongoing "Operation True Promise 4," it has launched attacks on more than 30 targets across central, southern, and inland areas of Israel, covering Rishon LeZion and Petah Tikva in Central Israel, Beersheba, Dimona, and Arad in Negev region, and around ten locations in Tel Aviv.

It added that further retaliations would intensify, with Israeli industrial facilities, infrastructure and military bases all identified as potential targets.

The IRGC also said on Tuesday it had carried out strikes on U.S. bases and other targets in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as on military command centers in the occupied Palestinian territories as part of the 99th wave of its operation.

According to the statement, the operations, jointly conducted by the IRGC Navy and Aerospace Force, carried out attacks with ballistic and cruise missiles along with attack drones in response to earlier strikes on petrochemical plants and affiliated facilities in Iran's southern coastal city of Asaluyeh.

The IRGC further claimed it had launched a long-range missile attack against the U.S. Navy's Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which is reportedly deployed in the Indian Ocean.

Separately, media reports said a large petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia's Jubail, which was owned by a U.S. company, was hit by medium-range missiles and drones.

Another container vessel, reportedly linked to Israel and believed to be preparing to transport military equipment from the Khor Fakkan port in the United Arab Emirates, was also said to have been struck.

Iran's IRGC vows "beyond the region" response if US hits civilian targets