GENEVA: The Middle East war has reached a &quot;perilous stage&quot; with strikes around nuclear sites in Iran and Israel, the World Health Organization warned Sunday, as it called for maximum restraint.&nbsp;An Iranian ballistic missile ripped open residential buildings and left dozens wounded late Saturday in the southern Israeli town of Dimona.&nbsp;Dimona hosts what is widely believed to be the Middle East&#39;s only nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, insisting the site is for research.&nbsp;Iran said the strike was in response to an earlier attack on its nuclear site at Natanz, which hosts underground centrifuges used to enrich uranium for Iran&#39;s disputed nuclear programme, and was damaged in the June 2025 war.&nbsp;&quot;The war in the Middle East has reached a perilous stage&quot; with the strikes on Natanz and Dimona, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.&nbsp;&quot;Attacks targeting nuclear sites create an escalating threat to public health and environmental safety,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;I urgently call on all parties to exercise maximum military restraint and avoid any actions that could trigger nuclear incidents. Leaders must prioritize de-escalation and protect civilians.&quot;&nbsp;Tedros said the International Atomic Energy Agency was looking into the strikes, and &quot;no indications of abnormal or increased off-site radiation levels have been reported&quot;.&nbsp;The war erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began their attacks on Iran, with Tehran in turn striking targets in Israel and Gulf nations. &nbsp;Since the war began, the WHO has provided training to its own staff and to other United Nations personnel across 13 countries to help them respond to public health threats in the event of a nuclear incident, said Tedros.

Middle East

Americas

The Middle East war has intensified, with Iran and Israel striking near nuclear sites in Natanz and Dimona. World Health Organization warns of public health risks, urges restraint, while IAEA monitors radiation; civilians remain in danger.

Middle East war at 'perilous stage' with strikes around nuclear sites: WHO

GENEVA: Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorize the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.&nbsp;Switzerland has already refused US requests for flights over its territory since the war &nbsp;erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began attacks on Iran.&nbsp;Following that decision, on Friday the Swiss government looked at applying neutrality to exports to states involved in the war.&nbsp;&quot;The export of war materiel to countries involved in the international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorized for the duration of the conflict,&quot; said a government statement.&nbsp;&quot;Existing licenses and exports of other goods will now be regularly reviewed by an interdepartmental group of experts, particularly with regard to their compatibility with neutrality.&nbsp;&quot;Exports of war materiel to the USA cannot currently be authorized,&quot; and existing US licenses will now face regular review, it said, whilst adding that Switzerland has not issued war materiel export licenses to Israel or Iran for years.&nbsp;Since the conflict started, no new licenses have been issued for exports of war goods to the United States, Bern said.&nbsp;Existing US licenses &quot;have been determined to be of no relevance to the war at present and can therefore continue to be used&quot;, the statement said.&nbsp;Nevertheless, an expert group drawn from the foreign, defense and economy ministries will regularly review developments in exports of the goods in question to the United States, and assess whether any action is required.&nbsp;Swiss neutrality traces its roots back to 1516 and has been internationally recognized since 1815.

Europe

Switzerland said it will not approve war equipment exports to the US during the Middle East conflict, citing neutrality, and will regularly review existing US licenses, while saying none issued so far are relevant to the war.

Articles tagged with "Middle east war"

Middle East war at 'perilous stage' with strikes around nuclear sites: WHO

Swiss will not export war equipment to US during Mideast conflict