France to Russia Condemn Israel's Escalation in Lebanon, US Blames Hezbollah

Israeli attack on Lebanon March 2026. (Wikimedia Commons/IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

JAKARTA - The majority of members of the UN Security Council on Monday condemned Israel's increased military action in Lebanon, while the United States refrained from criticizing Tel Aviv and directed its criticism at Hezbollah and Iran.

France's U.N. envoy, Jerome Bonnafont, said they were calling for an emergency session "in response to the ongoing major escalation, and the significant expansion of Israeli military operations in Lebanon, despite the ceasefire that came into effect on April 17 under the auspices of the United States."

Bonnafont criticized Tel Aviv and warned that a new occupation would only deepen the conflict.

"Far from bringing security to Israel and its citizens, new occupation only risks triggering instability, because every village that is bombed and destroyed, every civilian killed strengthens Hezbollah and weakens the Lebanese executive," he said, launching Anadolu (2/6).

He added, "no security considerations can justify a permanent violation of the sovereignty of a country."

Meanwhile, Russia's U.N. envoy Vassily Nebenzia, comparing Israel's military action in Lebanon to the situation in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, said Lebanon was experiencing "an almost identical repetition of the Gaza Strip cleansing scenario with the establishment of large-scale occupation control and the forced expulsion of local residents."

Israeli attack on Lebanon March 2026. (Wikimedia Commons/IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

He demanded the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces, warning that without it, "it is impossible to reach a true ceasefire," and linked the Lebanese crisis to wider regional tensions, arguing that "the deteriorating situation in Lebanon is a direct result of the unjustified aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran."

Meanwhile, China's envoy to the UN, Fu Cong, noted that Israel had "crossed the Litani River and occupied the Balfour Castle," calling it "Israel's deepest military invasion of Lebanon in more than 20 years," and saying Israel's plans to expand its ground operations further "are of great concern to the international community."

The British Charge d'Affaires, James Kariuki, condemned what he called "the escalation of Israel's reckless and disproportionate military action" which had "worsened an already devastating environment for Lebanese civilians," while stressing that US-mediated talks "are the only viable path to a lasting political settlement and the disarmament of Hezbollah."

In turn, the US envoy, Mike Waltz, offered a very different framework, praising President Donald Trump's personal leadership and fully blaming Hezbollah and Iran without mentioning Israel's violations.

"Both de-escalation and peace will come quickly if Hezbollah immediately stops its attacks, as it seems to have promised, and the Lebanese government asserts its full sovereignty, rebuilds, and brings its people home," he said.

Waltz described Washington as supporting the Lebanese government in its efforts to "free their country from terrorist organizations that are subject to Tehran," and outlined what he called a clear path to peace: "Hezbollah stops attacking Israel, the Lebanese armed forces and the legitimate Lebanese government enforce control over Lebanese territory, and Iran stops using Lebanon as a forward operating base."

Troops from the Israeli 91st Division in southern Lebanon. (Source: IDf)

It is known that Israel has increased its attacks on Lebanon, with its ground forces continuing to move deep into Lebanese territory beyond the initial demarcation line on the Litani River, quoted from the BBC.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday ordered an attack on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, as the conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group escalated.

In a joint statement released on Monday morning, the Israeli Prime Minister and Israeli Defense Minister Katz said they had ordered the attack on Dahieh "following the repeated and continued violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the terrorist organization Hezbollah and its attacks on civilians and our cities".

"Dahieh in Beirut is no different than communities in northern Israel. If there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut," Katz warned.

Later, the Israeli military reportedly seized the strategic location of Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, which Netanyahu described as a "decisive shift" in the attack on Hezbollah.

Later, US President Donald Trump said the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel agreed to stop fighting, adding that talks with Iran were going well after it seemed to have reached an impasse over Israel's attacks in Lebanon, quoted by Al Arabiya.

President Trump said on social media that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised not to send troops to the southern outskirts of Beirut as threatened, while Hezbollah had agreed "all firing will stop."

"I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, from Israel, and no troops are going to Beirut, and any troops that were on the way have been sent home," Trump wrote.

"Likewise, through high-level representatives, I had very good conversations with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all firing would be stopped - that Israel would not attack them, and they would not attack Israel," he continued.