Russia wants to avoid a “catastrophic scenario” and warns against Israeli military operations in Lebanon. Maria Zakharova even says that “the security of the entire Middle East” could be at stake.
Russia warned on Friday against a large-scale Israeli operation in Lebanon and called for avoiding a “catastrophic scenario.”
“We are convinced that the launch of a large-scale military operation in Lebanon will have devastating consequences for the security of the entire Middle East.”said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
“This catastrophic scenario must be avoided,” Zakharova said at a forum in St. Petersburg.
Tensions in the region rose after two waves of simultaneous explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday that thousands of communication devices of Hezbollah members killed 37 people and injured some 3,000 on Lebanese territory.
Russia previously condemned the “unprecedented” attacks as “a gross violation” of Lebanon’s sovereignty and “a serious challenge to international law through the use of unconventional weapons.”
Zakharova, quoted by Russian news agency TASS, once again urged all parties involved to exercise restraint and cease hostilities.
Russia is ready to “closely cooperate with regional and international partners to reduce tensions.” and stabilise the political-military situation” in the Middle East, he added, according to the Spanish agency EFE.
The Israeli military confirmed Thursday that it had carried out airstrikes against around 100 missile launchers belonging to the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, some of which were “ready to fire at Israel.”
Lebanese Hezbollah-owned Al Manar television channel reported more than 50 Israeli strikes near the border on Thursday evening.
The Lebanese National News Agency (ANN) confirmed the bombing of areas in the Jezzine region, far from the common border, but within the radius of action previously covered by Israel.
This was the second wave of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, after the army shelled more than 30 launch pads and infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in the afternoon.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday that the “center of gravity” of the war was shifting “toward the north” of Israel, which borders Lebanon.
The escalation of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group with significant military and political clout in Lebanon, has raised fears of an expansion of the conflict in the Middle East.
Hezbollah has been attacking positions in northern Israel from southern Lebanon. in support of the Palestinian extremist group Hamas, which has been facing an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip for 11 months.
The offensive was triggered by a Hamas attack on Israeli soil on 7 October 2023, which left around 1,200 dead and 200 hostages taken to Gaza.
The Israeli response in the Gaza Strip has already caused more than 41,200 deaths and a major human crisis, in addition to the destruction of important infrastructure in the Palestinian enclave controlled by Hamas since 2007.
Source: Observadora
