Pakistan, June 22 -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that intensifying Israel's military campaign inside Iran and strikes on nuclear facilities threaten to trigger a catastrophe.

In an address to the UN Security Council on Friday, the UN chief made an urgent plea for de-escalation, calling the spiraling confrontation a defining moment for the future of global security.

"We are not drifting toward crisis - we are racing toward it," he said.

"This is a moment that could shape the fate of nations.the expansion of this conflict could ignite a fire no one can control," he warned.

The Secretary-General's remarks came amid a mounting civilian toll in both Israel and Iran, and as several nuclear sites in Iran have come ...