Beirut, Tel Aviv (Al-Ittihad)
The United Nations, America and Europeans called for restraint after the escalation in the field between Israel and Hezbollah, with the United Nations warning of an imminent disaster in the Middle East.
Yesterday, the Israeli army launched the most violent bombardment on southern Lebanon, where intensive raids targeted several towns, including: “Al-Aziziyah, Aita al-Shaab, Al-Zarariyeh, Al-Taybeh, Ain Qana, Kfar Melki, Majdal Zoun, Al-Mahmoudiyah, Al-Aishiyeh, Zebqin, Ansar, and Wadi Hassan,” coinciding with the flight of warplanes and reconnaissance aircraft in Lebanese airspace. Israeli aircraft also launched raids on the towns of “Talousa, Rab Thalatheen, Sheheen, Al-Malikiyah, Yater, Al-Khiam, Markaba, Houla, and Wadi Al-Saluqi,” in the south, and the town of “Zalaya” in the western Bekaa.
In turn, Israeli media reported that fires broke out after rockets were fired from Lebanon near northern Haifa. The Israeli army announced yesterday that Hezbollah had fired more than 150 rockets and shells at Israel.
The Israeli Health Ministry said yesterday that instructions had been issued to hospitals in northern Israel to move their operations to facilities with additional protection from rocket and shell fire. The ministry added that Rambam Hospital in Haifa would transfer patients to its secure underground facilities. The death toll from the Israeli airstrike in the al-Jamous area of Beirut’s southern suburbs has risen to 51, while about 13 missing people are still trapped under the rubble, with it difficult to identify the bodies of the victims.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned yesterday of the dangers of turning Lebanon into “another Gaza” amid an escalation of hostilities. Guterres said in press statements: “What worries me is the risk of turning Lebanon into another Gaza.”
In turn, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, warned yesterday that the Middle East is facing a “catastrophic situation,” explaining that the region is “on the brink of imminent disaster.” The international coordinator said: “It is no exaggeration to say that: there is no military solution that will make either party safer.” White House spokesman John Kirby also warned yesterday of the danger of the current military escalation. Kirby said in press statements: “We do not believe that escalating this military conflict is in their interest, and this is what we say directly to our Israeli counterparts.”
“There is still room for a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” he said, adding, “That’s what we’re working on,” without providing further details. “This escalation is certainly not in the interest of all of these people that Prime Minister Netanyahu says he wants to bring home,” Kirby continued.
Extreme anxiety
The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, said yesterday that the bloc was “deeply concerned” by the escalation in Lebanon and called for an urgent ceasefire.
“The European Union is deeply concerned about the escalation in Lebanon following Friday’s attacks in Beirut,” he said in a statement, calling for “a ceasefire along the Blue Line, as well as in Gaza.”
The “Blue Line” is a line drawn by the United Nations in 2000 when Israeli forces withdrew from southern Lebanon, and serves as the border between the two countries.
The European official considered that “civilians are paying a heavy price, while intense fighting is taking place in both Israel and Lebanon.”
He pointed out that “these civilians will again suffer the most in a comprehensive war that must be avoided, especially through more intensive diplomatic efforts.”
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