During a meeting held in New York on Monday, alongside the United Nations General Assembly, the G7 countries warned that “no country would benefit from further escalation in the Middle East.” The foreign ministers of the G7 countries stated in a declaration that “actions and counteractions could lead to an amplification of this dangerous spiral of violence, dragging the entire Middle East into a broader regional conflict with unimaginable consequences.”
The ministers called for an end to “the current destructive cycle” in their statement. This statement was issued following hundreds of Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in various parts of Lebanon on Monday, which resulted in approximately 500 deaths, including 35 children, and around 1,700 injuries, according to Lebanese authorities. This marks the most severe aerial bombardment targeting the country since the onset of cross-border fire about a year ago, related to the war in Gaza.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed “deep concern” about the escalation and the “large number of civilian casualties” in southern and eastern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Lebanese counterpart Abdullah Bou Habib on Monday that China strongly supports Lebanon in safeguarding its security and sovereignty and vehemently condemns the violations following the extensive Israeli air raid. This was during a meeting between the Chinese and Lebanese foreign ministers in New York to exchange views on the situation in the Middle East, where the Chinese official emphasized that Beijing would continue to work for peace in the region.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the ministers held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, during which Wang declared, “We are closely monitoring the regional developments, particularly the recent explosions of telecommunications devices in Lebanon, and we strongly oppose random attacks against civilians,” emphasizing that “Beijing will always stand with Lebanon.”
