UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for maximum restraint after Iran's retaliatory attacks on Israel over the latter's deadly assault on the Iranian consulate in Syria.

"The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate. Now is the time for maximum restraint," he said at an emergency meeting of the Security Council.