U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday there was deep concern in Asia about the prospect of conflict spreading in the Middle East, as the U.N. chief called for everything possible to be done to avoid "all-out war" in Lebanon.

"The US has been intensely focused on preventing these conflicts from spreading for over a year now. We're working on this every day," Blinken said during a press conference.

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. expressed concern anew on the heightening tensions in the Middle East as he called for a peaceful resolution on the issues. ''The Philippines as well is gravely concerned over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the increasing tensions in the Middle East region,