The United Nations Security Council countries have called for increased diplomatic efforts to prevent a broader Middle East conflict after the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the twin Israeli strikes, which killed senior leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, as a dangerous escalation. He urged for an international diplomatic push to avert a wider regional conflict.

Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr was killed in Beirut by an Israeli strike followed by assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran yesterday.