Israeli Permanent Representative to the UN Danny Danon allowed the possibility of a major military conflict with the Shia group "Hezbollah" in neighboring Lebanon, reported DPA, quoted by BTA.
"I would like to see a ceasefire and return to the homes of Israelis in northern Israel and Lebanese in southern Lebanon,'' Danon said at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. "We all want this. It will happen either before or after a war. Hopefully before."
Danone confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to arrive in the US today, where he will address the UN General Assembly tomorrow.
Iran has said the region is on the brink of a full-scale disaster because of rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, and warned that Tehran will not sit idly by in the event of a war in Lebanon, Reuters reported.
In a statement to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi said Israel had crossed "all limits".
In the words of the Islamic Republic's number one diplomat, the United Nations Security Council must step in and restore peace and stability.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati also called on the Council to put pressure on Israel for an "immediate ceasefire on all fronts". Asked by Reuters to comment on whether a truce could be expected soon, he replied: "I hope so.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a "diplomatic solution" of the conflict and expressed deep concern about the escalation of tensions and the danger of conflict escalation in the region. He did this in a telephone conversation with his colleague Mikati, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit announced last night in Berlin.
"The chancellor emphasized that a diplomatic settlement of the conflict is possible," said the statement, which specifically referred to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted nearly 20 years ago, which called for a truce between the two warring parties and outlined which what he can do in the border region, including the withdrawal of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement from there, DPA notes.