UN Secretary General: Lebanon Should Not Be Another Gaza

Lebanon/UNSPLASH/Emile ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres admitted that he was very concerned about the increasing tension between Israel and Hezbollah Lebanon.

UN peacekeeping forces are trying to calm the situation and prevent miscalculation.

"One reckless act of one miscalculation can trigger a disaster that goes beyond the country's borders, and frankly, beyond imagination," he told reporters.

Let's be clear, the people in this region and the world community are unable to let Lebanon become part of Gaza.

Iran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in solidarity with its Palestinian allies, Hamas, since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese also fled their homes following Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.

Iran's mission to the United Nations says Hezbollah has the capability to defend itself and Lebanon against Israel, and warns that it may be time for the self-destruction of this illegitimate regime to arrive.

Any decision that is not careful by the Israeli occupation regime to save itself could plunge the region into a new war, Iran's mission at the United Nations in a post on X.

UN peacekeeping UNIFIL, as well as an unarmed technical observer known as UNTSO, has long been stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, known as the Blue Line.

UN peacekeeping forces are on the ground trying to ease tensions and help prevent calculational errors, Guterres said.