UN SAYS NEARLY 22,000 CIVILIAN BUILDINGS IN IRAN DAMAGED

GENEVA, March 13 (Bernama-dpa) -- Nearly 22,000 civilian buildings have been damaged so far in Iran in the ongoing Middle East conflict, German Press Agency (dpa) reported, quoting a UN representative. 

Among them are more than 17,000 residential units in the country, said Salvador Gutierrez, chief of mission of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Iran. 

Thousands of families have fled from the attacks, many of them to the north of Iran, Gutierrez said. He said it is essential to de-escalate the conflict to prevent further suffering. 

"De-escalation remains critical to preventing further human suffering, and the protection of civilians must be an absolute priority,” he said.

--BERNAMA-dpa