The world body has warned of an “increased risk of a full-scale war” along the Lebanon-Israel border, where 901 Indian peacekeepers are deployed.
“The UN is deeply concerned about the increased intensity of exchanges of fire yesterday across the Blue Line, which increases the risk of a full-scale war,” the office of Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesman said on Friday. fair.
“Escalation can and should be avoided. We reiterate that the danger of a miscalculation leading to a sudden and wider conflagration is real,” she added.
After an Israeli drone killed a senior Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, the militia responded by sending a barrage of 100 rockets into Israel.
The well-entrenched Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has threatened to continue attacks on Israel in solidarity with Hamas under the Israeli assault on Gaza.
Decades-long tensions in the region have intensified since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, which launched a vendetta against the Gaza it controls.
In solidarity with Hamas, Hezbollah has announced attacks on Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Civilians were those who suffered most from the barrage of attacks between Hezbollah and Israel.
Around 60,000 Lebanese were displaced and, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, around 20,000 Israelis were also forced to flee border areas because of the attacks.
“Israel has effectively lost its sovereignty in the northern quadrant of its country because people do not feel safe returning to their homes,” he said on Monday, highlighting the risk of war.
He added that an agreement reached through diplomacy is necessary to end security risks and ensure that “forces are withdrawn”.
The spokesperson’s office also emphasized that a “political and diplomatic solution is the only viable path forward.”
Indian peacekeepers are part of the 10,000-strong, 49-nation UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), tasked by the Security Council with working with Lebanese national forces to maintain order in the volatile section known as the Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel. .
In effect, the mission also acts as a barrier between the two countries, sometimes caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hezbollah.
The spokesperson’s office said the Lebanese Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee visited UNIFIL to express support for the mission and its mandate on Thursday.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, UN special coordinator for Lebanon, met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati to emphasize “the need for de-escalation across the Blue Line,” he added. .
Lebanon’s mandate is weak in the region where Hezbollah controls vast swaths of territory.
Mohammad Naameh Nasser, whom Israel blamed for rocket launches into the country, was the second Hezbollah commander killed in less than a month.
Last month, another Hezbollah commander, Taleb Abdallah, was killed by Israel in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah retaliated with around 150 rockets and drones, but international diplomacy prevented it from further escalation.
In another peacekeeping mission in the region, the UN Disengagement Observation Force (UNDOF), tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria, 202 Indian troops are deployed.
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