UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is opposed to Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon as Israel continued its deadly aerial strikes on the country, his spokesman said on Monday.
“We do not want to see any sort of ground invasion,” Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a media briefing, reflecting the UN’s concern over escalating violence in the region.
The situation in Lebanon remains critical, with ongoing Israeli airstrikes and retaliatory rocket fire from Hezbollah complicating the security landscape.
Dujarric highlighted that the United Nations peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, have been unable to conduct patrols due to the intensity of the fighting.
“Our UNIFIL Blue Helmets remain in position in the mission’s area of responsibility, while the intensity of fighting is preventing their movements and ability to undertake their mandated tasks,” he noted.
With approximately 10,000 peacekeepers deployed in the region, Dujarric stated that the ongoing exchanges of rocket fire have severely limited their capacity to operate, leaving them unable to fulfill their critical mission to maintain peace and stability.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stressed the need to avoid any further military operations in Lebanon.
Speaking after emergency talks among EU foreign ministers, Borrell stated, “The sovereignty of both Israel and Lebanon has to be guaranteed, and any further military intervention will dramatically aggravate the situation and it has to be avoided.”
US President Joe Biden on Monday expressed opposition to potential Israeli ground operations in Lebanon and called for an immediate ceasefire, as tensions spiraled after the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on Friday in Beirut.
Talking to reporters, Biden emphasized the urgency of halting military actions, stating, “I’m more aware than you might know and I’m comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire now.”
Biden’s plea for peace comes as regional tensions heighten, raising concerns about further destabilization in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Israel on Monday to refrain from launching a ground offensive into Lebanon and called for an immediate ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.
Speaking to reporters in Beirut, Barrot emphasized the urgency of de-escalation, stating, “I urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursion and to cease fire. I call on Hezbollah to do the same and refrain from any action that could destabilize the region.”
Barrot highlighted the necessity for both parties to agree to a truce that was recently proposed at the United Nations, asserting, “It is still on the table. There is still hope, but there is little time.”
Earlier, a joint statement from Paris, Washington, and various Arab, Western, and European nations, called for an “immediate 21-day ceasefire” to allow diplomatic efforts a chance to take root.
In recent days, Israeli airstrikes have targeted multiple locations across southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs. The conflict has escalated sharply following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last Friday, which has further fueled tensions.
On Monday, Hezbollah’s deputy chief pledged that the Lebanese group is ready to meet an Israeli ground operation, despite the deaths of its top leader.
Israel has not hit the group’s military skills and capabilities, said Hezbollah’s deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Monday as he delivered a message of defiance in a public address. Naim Qassem sought to insist that the Lebanese group would continue to fight despite the setbacks suffered under the offensive of Lebanon in recent days.
Qassem stated that the group’s operations have continued at the same pace and more, since the killing of Hassan Nasrallah on Friday. He said that the group will install a new leadership soon through standard mechanisms. The choice of new leadership is very clear, he continued, without offering further information.
Earlier, on Saturday, Hezbollah confirmed that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli overnight strike on Beirut’s suburbs. “Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah, has joined his great, immortal martyr comrades whom he led for around 30 years,” According to Hezbollah’s statement.
The Israeli military claimed that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an airstrike on Beirut.
“Hassan Nasrallah is dead,” Israel’s army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani claimed on social media. Military spokesman Captain David Avraham also confirmed that Hassan Nasrallah had been “killed” after strikes Friday on Beirut. Hassan Nasrallah was unreachable after Israel’s attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday evening, Reuters cited a source close to Hezbollah.
