The Israeli armed forces said on Saturday that they had killed the leader of the extremist organization Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, in an airstrike in Beirut on Friday.
Foreign minister Elina Valtonen (collective), the situation in the Middle East is explosive and the countries in the region fear the expansion of the conflict. Valtonen commented on recent events in the Middle East for on Saturday afternoon.
The situation in the Middle East, which has been going on for months, became even more tense when the Israeli armed forces said on Saturday that they had killed the top leader of the extremist organization Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah with an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday.
Valtonen says that he talked with representatives of several countries in the region during the UN’s top weeks in New York earlier this week. According to him, especially the moderate Arab countries are worried about the expansion of the war.
– That is, if Israel goes to carry out a ground operation on the Lebanese side.
According to Valtonen, due to the long-standing situation, stable countries in the region, such as Jordan, fear that different groups in their own countries will become even more radicalized in support of the Palestinians.
According to Valtonen, there are already indications that the terrorist groups in Iraq supported by Iran would join Hezbollah in support.
– Other terrorist groups supported by Iran are manifestations of a wider terrorist movement in the region.
Finland has appealed for the cessation of hostilities
Valtonen did not directly comment on what the information about Hassan Nasrallah’s death, once confirmed, would mean in terms of the situation.
Valtonen says that Finland, together with its partner countries, has appealed for the cessation of hostilities and an immediate ceasefire.
This week, Finland also joined the petition led by the United States and France for a 21-day ceasefire. However, the parties rejected the petition.
According to Valtonen, it would be important to open diplomatic channels and use them to negotiate the stabilization of the situation in Lebanon and especially in Gaza.
– On the contrary, a wider military escalation may lead to very unpredictable developments.
Valtonen emphasizes that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urges all Finns in Lebanon to leave the country immediately. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is monitoring the development of the situation. The Embassy of Finland in Beirut operates as usual.