UN chief pleads with Middle East leaders to 'step back from the brink'

Tánaiste and Defence Minister Micheál Martin condemned Israel's latest attack, adding there were no plans currently to withdraw Irish peacekeeping troops from Lebanon

United Nations secretary-general António Guterres made the plea after Israel unleashed widespread airstrikes against Hezbollah, killing more than 350 people. Picture: Yuki Iwamura/AP

The death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon approached 500, with nearly 1,650 others injured since Monday morning, as UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres pleaded with leaders to "step back from the brink" amid the escalation.

Irish peacekeepers will remain in Lebanon, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said, adding Israel is "recklessly oblivious" to the consequences of its actions in the Middle East.