Russian Ambassador to UN: Middle East on the brink of full-scale war

(Patria) - The Middle East is on the verge of a full-scale war, warned Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya, Tass agency reported.

"The region is on the verge of a full-scale war and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe," he told
reporters after a closed meeting of the UN Security Council on the current escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Let me be clear: the responsibility for the impending war in the Middle East, to a large extent, lies with the United States," he said.

"It should not be overlooked that the current flare-up of violence is happening against the backdrop of actual systematic violations of UN Security Council and General Assembly decisions, including the illegal expansion of settlements, which is regularly condemned by the vast majority of UN member states," he said.

Nebenzya added that Russia has unequivocally condemned the "extreme brutality, killings, and horrific scale of violence".

"Any killing and violence against peaceful civilians, both Israeli and Palestinian citizens, is unacceptable," emphasized the Russian envoy.