Guterres warns of a large-scale war on the Lebanese-Israeli border

Lebanon – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday of the risk of a large-scale war following an increase in the exchange of fire across the Israeli-Lebanese border following Lebanese factions launched a barrage of rockets targeting northern Israel.

Guterres expressed the United Nations’ deep concern over the increasing intensity of the exchange of fire across the Blue Line, stressing the need to avoid escalation and that a political and diplomatic solution is the only viable way forward.

The UN Secretary-General said that the increasing escalation since Thursday on the Lebanese-Israeli border “increases the risk of a full-scale war,” warning that what he described as “the risk of miscalculation” might lead to a dangerous confrontation between the two parties.

He reiterated the calls of the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) urging the two sides to immediately return to the ceasefire and recommit to the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006 calling for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon.

Guterres had previously warned that Lebanon would become a “second Gaza,” stressing that the world would not tolerate that.

On Friday, two Israeli soldiers were injured by rockets fired from southern Lebanon towards the settlement of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel, according to Israeli media.

In recent weeks, the escalation between Tel Aviv and the Lebanese factions has increased, raising fears of a wider war, especially with the Israeli army announcing on June 18 the approval of operational plans for a large-scale attack on Lebanon, amid diplomatic attempts led by Washington to prevent the escalation.

Agencies