France has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Lebanon, where clashes with Israel are intensifying, said the new French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barro, quoted by France Press and BTA. >
"At this moment I am thinking of the Lebanese people after the Israeli strikes claimed hundreds of civilian casualties, including dozens of children. These strikes on both sides of the Blue Line (the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon drawn by the United Nations) and more broadly in the region must stop immediately," Barro said from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly.
"France calls on the countries and those who support them to de-escalate in order to avoid the outbreak of a regional fire that would be devastating for everyone and above all for the civilian population. That is why I called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council regarding Lebanon this week," added the new head of French diplomacy, who took office yesterday.
"In Lebanon, as elsewhere, France will remain fully mobilized to resolve the major crises that undermine the international order,", he assured.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced late last night that 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, had been killed and 1,645 wounded in the southern and eastern parts of the country as a result of the incessant Israeli strikes since yesterday morning. This is the largest number of victims and victims in the violence that broke out almost a year ago.
The Israeli army announced that in the last 24 hours it struck more than 1,300 sites of the Shiite group "Hezbollah" in Lebanon.
The Lebanese group "Hezbollah" withdraws its fighters from some parts of Syria amid fierce Israeli attacks against it, a British-based non-governmental organization reported, quoted by DPA and BTA.
"Hezbollah" and Iran are key allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and have fought on his side since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said militias loyal to Iran are flocking to the central Syrian city of Palmyra and desert areas to replace withdrawing Hezbollah fighters.
According to the organization "Hezbollah" has evacuated its headquarters in Palmyra and withdrawn from the surrounding areas. The headquarters is said to have been handed over to members of the Afghan "Fatimiyun" Brigade. Other militias have seized weapons depots in the area.
The monitoring center notes that over the past few days, units of "Hezbollah" in Syria have headed for the Syrian-Lebanese border after the intensification of Israeli attacks against Lebanon.
Last week, thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by members of "Hezbollah" were blown up. Israeli strikes also hit a suburb of Beirut in a military campaign against senior members of the movement.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, warned that the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group "Hezbollah" threatens to lead to "total war" in the Middle East, reported France Press, quoted by BTA.
"I can say that we are almost on the brink of total war," the diplomat said, before the meeting of the G7 countries last night on the eve of the opening of the "high-level week" within the UN General Assembly in New York.
"This situation is extremely dangerous and alarming. I can say that we are almost in a full-scale war,'' Borrell told reporters, quoted by Reuters. "If this is not a war situation, I don't know what you would call it,'' he added, referring to the growing number of civilian casualties and the intensity of military strikes.
Borrell noted that efforts to lower tensions continue, but Europe's worst fears of an escalation of the conflict are becoming a reality.
He said the civilian population is paying a high price and every diplomatic effort must be made to prevent full-scale war.
"Here in New York, it's time to do that. "Everyone must put everything they are capable of into crossing this road that leads to war," Borrell urged.
According to the Lebanese authorities, the massive Israeli strikes against "Hezbollah" yesterday they killed at least 492 people in Lebanon, including 35 children.
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned about the well-being of civilians in Lebanon and has called on Israel and the military group "Hezbollah" to de-escalate the tension, his spokesman Stefan Dujarric said at a press briefing, BNR reported.
"Guterres expresses great concern for the safety of civilians, both in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, and for UN personnel in those areas," Dujarric said.
"The Secretary-General notes the continued efforts of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plashart and the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon to reduce tensions, and he reiterates the urgent need for de-escalation, as all efforts should be devoted to a diplomatic solution".
Yesterday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warned against targeting civilians in the country, noting that doing so could lead to war crimes.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said his team is monitoring the situation in the Middle East amid the latest escalation between 'Hezbollah" and Israel.
"My team is in constant contact with my colleagues and we are working to de-escalate in a way that allows people to return safely to their homes,", Biden told the press.
The remark comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a dire warning to Lebanese civilians amid escalating tensions.