GENEVA

The UN human rights chief warned Thursday that the intensifying military exchanges between Israel and Iran are causing grave harm to civilians and risk destabilizing the entire region.

"The wide-scale, continuing attacks by Israel across Iran, and the missile and drone strikes launched in response by Iran, are inflicting severe human rights and humanitarian impacts on civilians, and risk setting the whole region ablaze," Volker Turk said in a statement.

He said both sides have carried out strikes with devastating consequences beyond military targets.

According to official Iranian figures, 224 people have been killed, while human rights groups report more than twice that number.

In Israel, authorities say at least 24 people have died and over 840 have been injured, the statement said. Civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, and vital utilities, has also been hit.

"A large and increasing number of civilians are being displaced, notably from Tehran following evacuation warnings covering wide swathes of the capital," Turk said.

He reminded both parties that international humanitarian law requires the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution to be respected at all times and prohibits attacks targeting civilians or civilian objects.

"It is appalling to see how civilians are treated as collateral damage in the conduct of hostilities," Turk said, adding that "threats and inflammatory rhetoric by senior officials on both sides suggest a worrying intention to inflict harm on civilians."

He called for "maximum restraint, full respect for international law, and return in good faith to the negotiating table" as the only viable path to prevent further escalation.