UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday expressed his concern over escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah group adding that Lebanon cannot become another Gaza.
He said that UN peacekeepers are working to calm down the situation and prevent any kind of miscalculation.
“One rash move — one miscalculation — could trigger a catastrophe that goes far beyond the border, and frankly, beyond imagination,” he told journalists.
Antonio Guterres added that the people of the region and the people of the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza.
Hezbollah has been firing rockets at Israel to show solidarity with Palestinian group Hamas since the Gaza war started in October. Tens of thousands of Lebanese have fled their homes following Israeli strikes in the south of Lebanon.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations on Friday said that Hezbollah can defend itself and Lebanon against Israel. It warned that perhaps the time for the self-annihilation of this illegitimate regime has come.
The mission in a post on X said any imprudent decision by the occupying Israeli regime to save itself could put the region into a new war.
A UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL, as well as unarmed technical observers known as UNTSO, have long been deployed in southern Lebanon to monitor the situation along the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, known as the Blue Line.
UN peacekeepers working to de-escalate tensions
Guterres said UN peacekeepers are on the ground working to de-escalate tensions and help to stop any miscalculation.
He added the world must be clear that immediate de-escalation is not only possible it is essential. Guterres said. the UN top official said there is no military solution.
According to the Gaza health ministry, Israel’s relentless bombardment has killed at least 37,431 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.
Meanwhile Qatar on Friday reaffirmed its commitment to mediating between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza Strip. Qatar, USA, and Egypt have been engaged in months of talks to “bridge the gap” between Israel and Hamas to secure a ceasefire.
