Iran-Israel war must not become refugee crisis: UN

GENEVA: The United Nations said on Saturday the Iran-Israel war must not be allowed to trigger another refugee crisis in the Middle East, saying once people fled there was no quick way back.

UNHCR, the UN´s refugee agency, said the intensity of the attacks between the two sides was already triggering population movements in both countries. Such movements had already been reported from Tehran and other parts of Iran, it said, with some people crossing into neighbouring countries. Strikes in Israel had caused people to seek shelter elsewhere in the country and in some cases abroad.

“This region has already endured more than its share of war, loss and displacement. We cannot allow another refugee crisis to take root,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees.

“The time to de-escalate is right now. Once people are forced to flee, there´s no quick way back -- and all too often, the consequences last for generations.” Israel said on Saturday it had launched fresh air strikes against missile storage and launch sites in central Iran.

Iran has responded with barrages which Israeli authorities say have killed at least 25 people. Iran hosts the largest number of refugees in the world -- around 3.5 million -- mostly of them from Afghanistan.

If the conflict persists, Iran´s existing refugee populations would also face renewed uncertainty and yet more hardship, UNHCR said. The agency called for an urgent de-escalation in the conflict and urged countries in the region to respect the right of people to seek safety.

The Israeli government says the unprecedented wave of attacks it has launched at Iran since June 13 is aimed at preventing its rival from developing nuclear weapons -- an ambition Tehran strongly denies.

Israel has maintained ambiguity about its own atomic arsenal, neither officially confirming nor denying it exists, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says it has 90 nuclear warheads.