GENEVA: The spiralling war in the Middle East is putting civilians in “grave danger”, the head of the Red Cross warned on Monday, saying a large-scale conflict would outstrip any ability to help.
The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran has spread across the Mideast and beyond, with Lebanon´s Hezbollah entering the fray and a British military base in European Union member Cyprus coming under attack.
“Widening hostilities across the Middle East are putting civilian lives in grave danger,” said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. “The scale of major military operations flaring across the Middle East risks embroiling the region -- and beyond -- into another large-scale armed conflict that will overwhelm any humanitarian response.”
The Geneva-based ICRC acts as the guardians of international humanitarian law, the set of rules which seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict. The rules protect people who are not or are no longer participating in hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare.
