"I felt compelled today to voice my profound concerns about escalation between Israel and Hezbollah along the Blue Line," Antonio Guterres told reporters in New York, hinting at "escalation in bellicose rhetoric from both sides as if an all-out war was imminent."
Warning against a wider regional conflict in the Middle East, Guterres said, "One rash move – one miscalculation -- could trigger a catastrophe that goes far beyond the border, and frankly, beyond imagination."
"Let’s be clear: The people of the region and the people of the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza," he said.
Highlighting the loss of lives and many people being displaced with their homes and livelihoods destroyed, the UN chief drew attention to Israeli forces targeting several towns in southern Lebanon by explosions, causing forest fires that spread and threatened residential areas.
He urged full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, and immediate cessation of hostilities while protecting civilians.
"Children, journalists and medical workers should never be targeted," he said.
Guterres ruled out a "military solution," saying that it will only guarantee more suffering, more devastation to communities in Lebanon and occupied Palestine, and more potentially catastrophic consequences for the region.
"It is time for reason and rationality," he said, recalling that UN peacekeepers on the ground are working towards de-escalation and helping to prevent miscalculation, according to Anadolu Agency.
Guterres stressed, "The cessation of hostilities and progress toward a permanent cease-fire is the only durable solution."
He affirmed the UN's full support to diplomacy for ending violence, restoring stability, and preventing further humanitarian suffering.
SD/PR