ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday stressed that Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Lebanon cannot go unanswered, noting that it is “imperative” to bring an end to the violence before it spills into the rest of the region.

“It is imperative that the international community should immediately stop the violence and bring about a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and bring an end to the desperate barbarism of Israel in Lebanon, before it engulfs the region and the world,” said Pezeshkian in his speech at the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have since last week engaged in daily cross-border exchange of fire. Israel launched a widespread aerial offensive on southern Lebanon on Monday, killing over 550 people and wounding nearly 2,000 others.

On Wednesday morning, Hezbollah launched a ballistic missile toward Tel Aviv, targeting Mossad headquarters, but the projectile was intercepted by Israel’s David’s Sling defense system. It was the first time a Hezbollah missile has reached the Israeli capital since the group launched its attacks on the country last year.

“Israel has been defeated in Gaza and no amount of barbaric violence can restore its myth of invincibility. Naturally, blind Israeli state terrorism over the past few days in Lebanon followed by a massive aggression with thousands of victims cannot go unanswered,” said the Iranian president.

“The responsibility for all consequences will be borne by those who have thwarted all global efforts to end this horrific catastrophe, and have the audacity to call themselves champions of human rights,” he added.

Pezeshkian, a reformist politician, was elected as president of Iran in July, succeeding Former President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May.

The newly-elected Iranian president said that he seeks to lead the country into a new era, stressing that Tehran simply aims to protect its own stability, not start quarrels with anyone.

“I aim to lay a strong foundation for my country’s entry into a new era, positioning it to play a effective and constructive role in the evolving global order,” said Pezeshkian. “The Islamic Republic of Iran seeks to safeguard its own security; not to create insecurity for others. We want peace for all and seek no war or quarrel with anyone.”