TEHRAN- Iran issued a social media warning on Saturday stating that failure to stop Israel’s “war crimes and genocide” could have “far-reaching consequences.”

The statement on X by Iran’s UN mission comes after Axios said Tehran warned Israel in a message issued through the UN that it would have to retaliate if Israel launched a land attack on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

“If the Israeli apartheid’s war crimes & genocide are not halted immediately, the situation could spiral out of control & ricochet far-reaching consequences - the responsibility of which lies with the UN, the Security Council & the states steering the Council toward a dead end,” Iran’s UN mission posted.

On Saturday, Israel was preparing to start ground offensive in the Gaza Strip after warning Palestinians living in the north to move south.

Gaza, which is home to 2.3 million Palestinians, is now completely besieged after being subjected to the most intensive assault it has ever experienced by Israeli warplanes and artillery.

The United Nations announced Saturday that its Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Beirut.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also noted, “All of [Wennesland’s] meetings have been to discuss diplomatic efforts to release hostages, secure humanitarian access and prevent a spillover of the conflict to the wider region. This includes his recent meetings in Lebanon.”