NEW YORK, Sept 26 — The United Nations (UN) Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday to address the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, as Lebanon's situation continues to deteriorate.
This is the second meeting concerning Lebanon within a week, as requested by France. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that "hell is breaking loose in Lebanon," highlighting the severity of the ongoing crisis.
In his remarks, Guterres urged the Security Council "to work in lock-step" to end the escalating violence between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah group across the Blue Line, a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
He insisted that Hezbollah and Israel must pull back from the brink of a potentially catastrophic regional war, adding that there is now massive civilian displacement from southern and eastern Lebanon towards the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
With an appeal for both sides to respect Lebanese sovereignty, Guterres said that Lebanon "must have full control of its weapons" throughout the country.
"We support all efforts to strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces," he said.
"We say it very clearly and honestly: what we have been witnessing over the past year in Gaza and what we are witnessing now in Lebanon is likely to expand to other areas in the region if the international community does not shoulder its responsibility to put an end to the machine of death and destruction," said Minister for Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates of Egypt Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty at the meeting.
"They are spreading terror and fear among Lebanese citizens ... We cannot bear to lose another generation because of the war," said Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
"The ongoing aggression against Lebanon is fuelled by the failure of the international community, and in particular by the UN Security Council, to hold Israel accountable for war crimes and genocide in Gaza," said Iranian foreign minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.
On Wednesday, France unveiled a proposal for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon in UN diplomacy with the United States as the death toll mounted in deadly strikes by Israel.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the two Western powers are proposing a "temporary ceasefire" of 21 days "to allow for negotiations."
The Arab League Council has at the level of foreign ministers warned of the repercussions of escalating "the Israeli aggression" against Lebanon in light of recent developments, which could lead to the outbreak of a large-scale regional war and threaten the security and stability of the entire region.
On Monday and Tuesday, Israel conducted its most extensive attacks on Lebanon since 2006, resulting in more than 550 deaths and over 1,800 injuries across the country. Lebanese Environment Minister Nasser Yassin said Israel's bombardment has displaced over 150,000 residents over the past 72 hours.
The sharp escalation has raised concerns about a potential full-scale conflict between Israel and Lebanon, with fears that other regional powers could also be sucked in.
— Bernama
