Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday violence by protesters had pushed Hong Kong into "a state of panic and chaos".
As she spoke to reporters, her voice cracking with emotion at one point, she said Hong Kong had "reached [a] dangerous situation" and that violence during protests would push it "down a path of no return".
Mass unrest, sparked by a controversial extradition bill, has rocked the city for 10 weeks and shows no signs of abating.
Hong Kong's airport reopened on Tuesday but hundreds of flights still remained cancelled after pro-democracy protesters forced the shutdown of the transport hub.
British PM Starmer to send four Typhoon jets to Qatar
Bombing of Tehran intensifies as war enters day six
Azerbaijan vows to respond after four injured by Iranian drones
72 killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon as it warns residents to leave south
Nepal goes to the polls; voters seek change after youth-led protests
