“Lebanon is on the brink,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the General Assembly on Tuesday. The situation in Gaza “is a continuing nightmare that threatens to drag the entire region into chaos. Starting with Lebanon,” he added, calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.
Bring the hostages home and ensure the security of Israel and Gaza
US President Joe Biden also warned against a “generalized war” in Lebanon which “is in no one’s interest”, and said a ceasefire agreement in Gaza was needed.
“It is now time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home and ensure the security of Israel and Gaza, free from the grip of Hamas,” he added at the UN.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also accused Israel of “dragging the entire region into war” before the United Nations General Assembly.
Middle East tensions: Death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon rises to 558, Beirut hit by targeted strike
“What are you waiting for to stop the massacres that are dragging the entire region into war?” he told world leaders gathered in New York.
China said it was “deeply shocked by the large number of casualties caused by these military operations” and expressed its opposition “to violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and security” during a regular press briefing by its Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian.
Russia said it feared the “complete destabilization” of the Middle East and condemned the Israeli strikes: “This is of course a potentially extremely dangerous event” and “it worries us to the highest degree,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“Hezbollah cannot stand alone against Israel”
Iran, an ally of Hezbollah, considered that the Islamist movement could “not remain alone” against Israel, nor “oppose alone a country which is defended, supported and supplied by Western countries, European countries and the United States”, in an interview with its president Massoud Pezeshkian to the American channel CNN, translated from Persian to English.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, holds Israel “fully responsible for this dangerous escalation which threatens the security and stability of the entire region.”
It considers the Israeli military action as “an extension of ongoing Israeli war crimes and violations, including” of UN resolutions.
For Spain, “what we feared, namely the extension of the war to Lebanon, is already here,” its Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, declared on the Spanish channel La Sexta.
“Now we must all call a spade a spade. We must say that the war must be stopped. International law and international humanitarian law must be respected and the victims protected,” he added.
Middle East Tensions – Lebanon: “We are on the brink of total war”
“Hezbollah, let’s not mince our words, is leading us directly to Iran. We must understand the gravity of the moment and rise to the occasion,” Mr. Albares added, calling for “de-escalation.”
Jordan expressed its “absolute support for Lebanon” and, in a phone call with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, King Abdullah II warned against Israeli escalation, stressing “the need to unite international efforts to stop it before the region is dragged into an all-out regional war,” according to a Palace statement.
Iraq has “firmly condemned the aggression targeting the Lebanese people”. Its President Abdel Latif Rachid has called for “an international position” to “stop the aggressions that would cause the region to slide towards dangerous scenarios that benefit no one”.
Qatar, which is playing a key role in efforts to secure a truce in Gaza, “condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli aggression in Lebanon” which it said “puts the region on the brink and exposes it to further tensions.”
The United Arab Emirates expressed “deep concern”. Their head of diplomacy called for “strengthening international efforts aimed at ending the conflict”.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday it was “gravely concerned by the serious escalation of attacks we witnessed yesterday. Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes yesterday and this night, and their numbers continue to rise”, during a press briefing in Geneva.
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