UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, today warned of "serious environmental consequences" of the ongoing strikes on oil facilities in the Middle East, as well as possible consequences for drinking water and air quality, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
“We continue to warn of the humanitarian consequences of the escalation of violence in parts of the Middle East, which is leading to increasing civilian casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure and increasing displacement“, Dujarric said during a media briefing.
He added that he was "particularly concerned" of “the recent strikes on oil facilities, which could have serious environmental consequences across the region with possible immediate consequences for drinking water, the air people breathe and food“.
Dujarric stressed that this was particularly worrying, given that these strikes come in addition to “strikes on water desalination facilities reported in several countries“.
“We would like to reiterate again that all possible precautions must be taken to protect civilians from the effects of military action, as well as to avoid damage to health facilities, schools, water supply systems and other vital infrastructure“, the spokesman concluded.
Several oil storage facilities in Iran were hit in Israeli air strikes on Sunday, Reuters reports. Since the conflict began, Iran has also launched attacks on several oil facilities in the region.