UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns of “warlike rhetoric” from Israel and the Iran-backed Shia militia Hezbollah.
– To be clear: The people of the region and people all over the world cannot afford Lebanon to become a new Gaza, he says.
António Guterres is concerned about an extended conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah. After threats of major war from both sides, he says at a press conference that the warring parties risk causing a catastrophe “beyond our imagination”.
The risk of the conflict in the Middle East expanding is real, and must be avoided, he says.
A rash move, a misjudgment, can trigger a disaster that reaches far beyond the border battle.
Hezbollah and Israel’s military have been shooting at each other almost daily since October 7 last year.
This week, tensions escalated when Hezbollah published video clips that are said to show, among other things, how drones photographed military infrastructure in Israel. Shortly thereafter, the Israeli military announced that an operational plan for an offensive in Lebanon had been approved.
“In a full-scale war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be hit hard,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
To which Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in turn responded in a speech with:
Let the enemy know once again that if full-scale war is declared against Lebanon, we will fight it without restraint.