A screenshot of Jesse Watters Primetime on Fox News' website

US Fox News host Jesse Watters has reportedly issued a private apology to UN global communications chief Melissa Fleming after making controversial comments about bombing the organization during a Tuesday broadcast.

The comments were made during Jesse Watters Primetime on Tuesday, "What we need to do is either leave the UN or we need to bomb it," Watters said. "Maybe gas it ... we need to destroy it," as he riffed on technical mishaps surrounding US President Donald Trump's address at the UN General Assembly, according to Reuters.

Watters claimed that the president was "sabotaged" by a faulty escalator, which he said could have caused Melania Trump to "get hurt," according to the Independent.

He further alleged that Trump's teleprompter malfunctioned, calling the incidents an "insurrection." "And what we need to do is either leave the UN or we need to bomb it. It is in New York though, right?" he said on air, the Independent reported.

The remarks quickly drew controversy. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday that the United Nations was "shocked," stressing, "There is nothing funny or ironic in calling for the bombing, the gassing, the destruction of this building. That kind of language is unacceptable," Reuters reported.

Dujarric underscored the real dangers such rhetoric carries. "We know painfully the reality of what happens when threats are made against the UN We lost friends in Baghdad. I personally walked through the rubble of the building in Algiers where the UN was bombed, our colleagues in Abuja were also bombed," he said, according to Reuters.

Some US outlets also amplified the controversy. HuffPost ran the headline: "Fox News Host Jesse Watters Declares War On The UN After Trump's Escalator Snafu." The Los Angeles Times published a commentary titled: "Dear FCC: Jesse Watters just suggested 'blowing up' the UN."

Watters made the remarks while discussing Trump's address to world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Trump complained about an elevator that had stopped shortly after he stepped onto it and a teleprompter that did not work.

The United Nations has said the escalator abruptly stopped after Trump and first lady Melania Trump stepped on to it likely because a White House videographer accidentally triggered a safety mechanism. Trump also experienced issues with the teleprompter, but a UN official said it was being operated by the White House, Reuters reported.

The General Assembly held its annual high-level debate from September 23 to 29. Heads of state and government are delivering speeches under the theme: "Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights," according to the UN.

Global Times