The United Nations Security Council is set to convene an emergency session on Wednesday regarding the escalating situation in Lebanon, following a request from France.
This urgent meeting highlights the increasing tensions in the region.
According to sources within the Security Council, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will participate in the discussions.
The session comes in the wake of heightened hostilities between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant has announced an expansion of attacks on military sites, missile depots, and Hezbollah leadership throughout Lebanon.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reports that the death toll in Lebanon has risen to approximately 570, with over 1,800 injuries, marking the highest number of fatalities in a single day since the end of the Lebanese Civil War, which lasted from 1975 to 1990.
Thousands have fled southern Lebanon, leading to significant disruptions on the main highway to Beirut, representing the largest displacement since the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in 2006.
Hezbollah has faced substantial losses recently, including the destruction of thousands of its communication devices in attacks attributed to Israel, resulting in 39 fatalities and injuries to thousands more. On Friday, Israel launched an airstrike in southern Beirut, killing 16 members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit, including its leader, Ibrahim Aqil.
Notably, Fouad Shukr, a prominent military leader of Hezbollah, was killed in a July 30 airstrike targeting a residential building in southern Beirut.
French President Emmanuel Macron had previously urged Iran on July 29 to cease its support for destabilizing entities, including Hezbollah. Following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Macron called on Iran on August 7 to avoid a military escalation in the region.
The recent escalation in Lebanon has reached alarming levels, with unprecedented Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and allied with Hamas.
On Tuesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi emphasized that Hezbollah should not stand alone against Israel, which he claims is supported and supplied by Western nations.
In his address to the General Assembly, US President Joe Biden stressed that “a comprehensive war is not in anyone’s interest.”
Meanwhile, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bouhabib announced that the number of displaced Lebanese due to the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is nearing half a million.
