International Guterres: Lebanon must not become a second Gaza

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns against further escalation in the Middle East. "The Lebanese people, the Israeli people and people all over the world cannot afford for Lebanon to become a second Gaza," said Guterres at the start of the general debate of the UN General Assembly in New York. Lebanon is on the brink. The Gaza war is an "incessant nightmare" that threatens to drag the entire region down with it.

Violence between Israel and the Shiite organization Hezbollah in Lebanon has been escalating for days. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 550 people have died in Israeli air strikes since Monday - including dozens of women and children. The conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militia has thus escalated massively. It is not only in Lebanon that fears of an all-out war are growing.

Guterres, who has repeatedly voiced clear criticism of the Israeli military's conduct of the war in the Gaza Strip, now clearly fears a similar course of action in Lebanon. "The speed and scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza are unparalleled in my years as Secretary-General," Guterres continued.

Guterres: "World of impunity"

According to the Hamas-controlled authorities, there have been more than 40,000 deaths since the war began in October, with no distinction made between civilians and fighters. Guterres emphasized that nothing could justify Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 - just as nothing could justify the collective punishment of the Palestinians afterwards. This statement was followed by rare applause in the plenary session.

In a previous part of his speech, Guterres denounced the fact that many governments could do whatever they wanted without control and without being held accountable. "They can invade another country, devastate entire societies or completely disregard the well-being of their own people," said Guterres. In a "world of impunity", the foundations of international law and the UN Charter are under threat. This is politically indefensible and morally intolerable.

SDA