The UN special envoy for Syria said on Sunday that it was "extremely critical" to end the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza to avoid the country being pulled into a regional war.

The UN special envoy for Syria said on Sunday that it was "extremely critical" to end the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza to avoid the country being pulled into a regional war. "We need now to make sure that we have immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, that we have a ceasefire in Lebanon, and that we avoid Syria being dragged even further into the conflict," said Geir Pedersen ahead of a meeting with the Syrian foreign minister in Damascus. "We agree that it is extremely critical that we de-escalate so that Syria is not further dragged into this," he said. Also read: 'Shooting near Israeli embassy in Jordan was terror attack targeting forces' Since Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in the country, mainly targeting the army and Iran-backed groups. The Israeli military has intensified its strikes on targets in Syria since its conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon escalated into full-scale war in late September after almost a year of cross-border hostilities. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Israeli strikes on the city of Palmyra earlier in the week killed 105 people, the vast majority of them pro-Iran fighters, in the deadliest such attack on Tehran-backed groups to date. Also read: US SEC summons Gautam Adani, nephew Sagar Adani in $265 million bribery case Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria but has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran to expand its presence in the country. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

UN says ‘critical’ ceasefire needed to stop Syria from entering war zone

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UN says ‘critical’ ceasefire needed to stop Syria from entering war zone