Israel ‘spreading terror’: Lebanon’s PM tells UN Security Council

An urgent meeting of the security council was called on Wednesday by France, with the French foreign minister taking the opportunity to unveil efforts with the United States to reach a temporary pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Israel is violating our sovereignty by sending their warplanes and drones to our skies,” Mikati told the emergency meeting at UN headquarters in New York.

De-escalation is urgently needed, Mikati said, as Israel’s aerial bombardment, attacks on electronic devices and threatened ground invasion have spread “terror and fear among the Lebanese citizens in full view of the world”.

“I hope to come back to my country armed with your explicit stance calling for the cessation of this aggression and for the respect of the sovereignty and safety of my country,” Mikati told the 15 members of the UN’s most powerful body.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his country had been working to address Lebanon’s concerns.

“In recent days, we’ve worked with our American partners on a temporary ceasefire platform of 21 days to allow for negotiations,” Barrot added.

Deputy US ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, said Washington hoped the ceasefire proposal would “lead to calm and enable discussions to a diplomatic solution”.

“Nobody wants to see a repeat of the full-blown war that occurred in 2006,” Woods added, while also directing blame for Israel’s attack on Lebanon to Hezbollah’s “build up of weapons, many of which are supplied by Iran”.

Israel’s intensification of attacks on Lebanon comes as the 12-month anniversary of Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 8 nears, and Israel’s ensuing war on Gaza approaches the one-year mark with no end in sight.

Against this backdrop of Israel’s war on Gaza and attacks on Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to arrive in New York on Thursday to make a case at the UN for his far-right government’s military operations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also addressed the emergency UNSC meeting on the burgeoning conflict in Lebanon after days of deadly Israeli attacks.

Lebanon cannot become another Gaza, said the UN chief.

“I implore the Council to work in lockstep to help put out this fire. The parties must immediately return to a cessation of hostilities … Civilians must be protected. Civilian infrastructure must not be targeted. The safety and security of all UN assets must be ensured. International law must be respected,” added Guterres.

“To all sides, let’s say in one clear voice: Stop the killing and destruction, tone down the rhetoric and threats, and step back from the brink.”

Guterres stated an all-out war must be avoided “at all costs”.