New York, United States - October 28, 2024 A Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Monday expressed serious concern over the escalation of tensions in the Middle East caused by Israel's actions against Iran, stressing that any risky military action is irresponsible. Strong explosions were heard in the Iranian capital Tehran in the early hours of Saturday, as Israel confirmed that it had launched "precise strikes" on military targets in Iran in response to earlier attacks from the country. At the request of Iran, China, Russia and Algeria, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting on Monday on Israel's attack on Iranian targets. Many parties called on both Iran and Israel to avoid a spiral of escalation. Speaking at the meeting, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, urged Israel to cease all provocative actions. Fu said that China calls on all parties to remain calm and restrained, abide by the U.N. Charter and principles of international law, and return to the right track of resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means. Shotlist: U.N. Headquarters, New York City - Oct 28, 2024: FILE: U.N. Headquarters, New York City - Date Unknown 1. Buildings; 2. United Nations flag; 3. U.N. emblem; U.N. Headquarters, New York City - Oct 28, 2024 4. Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to United Nations, speaking at meeting; 5. Amir Saeed Iravani, permanent representative of Iran to U.N., at meeting; 6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to United Nations (starting with shots 4-5): "China condemns any violation of Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity and opposes destructive acts that threaten regional peace and security. Currently, Iran-Israel relations and the entire Middle East situation are on the brink of danger. We express serious concern about the escalation caused by Israel's actions and urge Israel to truly stop all provocative actions."; 7. Meeting in progress; 8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to United Nations: "We call on countries that have a significant influence on Israel to put saving lives and preventing war first, and abandon any other political calculations. The relevant parties should support the Security Council in taking further strong actions on the current situation to promote an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an immediate cooling-down of the situation in Lebanon and Israel, so as to effectively curb the expansion of the conflict."; FILE: Iran - Date Unknown 9. Various of buildings, traffic, national flags of Iran; Tehran, Iran - Oct 26, 2024 10. Tehran's air defense system intercepting targets over Iranian military camp; Tehran, Iran - Oct 26, 2024 11. Interception of missiles seen from apartment rooftop. [Restriction - For news purpose only/No archive/Not for other production use, No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV]