“Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it. Look no further than Lebanon,” Guterres said at the opening of the UN’s annual gathering.
“We should all be alarmed by the escalation. Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, and the people of the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza.”
War featured prominently in the UN chief’s remarks, with references to Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan, and other ongoing conflicts.
“Nothing can justify the abhorrent acts of terror committed by Hamas on October 7, or the taking of hostages – both of which I have repeatedly condemned,” added the 75-year-old former prime minister of Portugal.
“And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” he continued.
The UN chief stressed, “the speed and scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza are unlike anything in my years as secretary-general. More than 200 of our own staff have been killed, many with their families. And yet the women and men of the United Nations continue to deliver humanitarian aid.”
“The international community must mobilise for an immediate ceasefire. The immediate and unconditional release of the hostages and the beginning of an irreversible process towards the two-state solution.”
“For those who go on and their mining that goal with more settlements, more land grabs, more incitement, I ask: What is the alternative?
“How could the world accept one state in which a large number of Palestinians would be included without any freedom, any rights or dignity,” he stated.
The Israeli army has launched waves of deadly air raids against Lebanon since early Monday, killing at least 558 people, including 95 women and 50 children, and injuring 1,835.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,500 victims, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.
The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.
