United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the consequences of Israeli air strikes in Lebanon and warned of the risk of new escalation after ending his solidarity visit to Beirut, TASS reported.
During his visit, the UN chief said he was shocked by the scale of the destruction in the country.
“We have witnessed widespread destruction in Lebanon and I fear that the southern part of the country could turn into a lifeless desert and the southern suburbs of Beirut could be subjected to new bombings that would lead to their complete destruction“, Guterres was quoted as saying by the government press service.
He stressed that the military escalation has led to a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
“We are making great efforts to stop this war“, the UN Secretary-General added.
At the same time, Guterres called on the Shiite movement Hezbollah to respect the Lebanese government's decision to concentrate all weapons in the hands of the state, as part of efforts to restore state control and stability in the country.