Lebanon could become ‘another Gaza’, UN chief warns

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Sunday that Lebanon could become a “second Gaza” following attacks on Hezbollah this week.

The Lebanese militant group and the Israeli military have exchanged fire for 11 months in Israel’s war with Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza. But tensions rose this week after a series of attacks on Hezbollah that targeted the militant group’s electronic devices.

Hezbollah fired more than 100 rockets into northern Israel early Sunday morning as Israel bombarded Lebanon with hundreds of attacks. The Hezbollah rocket strikes came after Israel carried out an airstrike in Beirut on Friday that killed at least 45 people, including the group’s top leader, Ibrahim Akil, and several other fighters, as well as women and children.

Asked about the recent attacks on electronic devices, Guterres told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in a pre-recorded interview: “There is the potential for a much bigger escalation. And that’s what worries me — the potential for Lebanon to turn into another Gaza, which I think would be a devastating tragedy for the world.”

Newsweek On Sunday afternoon, he contacted the UN, the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the US Embassy in Lebanon via email for comment.

October 7, 2024, will mark one year since Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel, in which some 1,200 people in Israel were killed and about 250 were taken hostage. There are still about 100 hostages in the Gaza Strip, a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel then launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip, in which more than 41,000 Palestinians were killed, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

The fighting in Gaza has left the region in ruins and Palestinians on the brink of famine as they continue to be packed into tent camps. Guterres has previously called the situation in Gaza an “epic humanitarian catastrophe.”

The United States, along with Qatar and Egypt, have been trying for months to persuade Hamas and Israel to conclude a ceasefire and release the hostages.

“It’s clear to me that both sides are not interested in a ceasefire. And that’s a tragedy because this is a war that has to end,” Guterres said ahead of this year’s UN summit starting on Monday. Guterres said previously proposed agreements were “quite reasonable,” adding that “both sides should be able to accept them.”

The UN General Assembly and Security Council called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Hezbollah attacks with electronic devices

On Tuesday, pagers used by hundreds of Hezbollah members exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria. The next day, more electronic devices exploded in Lebanon, this time walkie-talkies.

At least 37 people, including two children, were killed and more than 3,000 injured in the two attacks. Both attacks on Hezbollah are widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, but Israel has not claimed responsibility for them.

Will Israel attack Lebanon?

Daniel Shadmy, spokesman for the NGO European Leadership Network-Israel (ELNET), said: Newsweek earlier this week: “We have never been closer to all-out war, but it is still avoidable because we have not passed the point of no return.”

“As the retaliation between Israel and Hezbollah continues, we are getting closer to a misjudgment and a dramatic escalation of hostilities,” Shadmy said.

Meanwhile, Avi Melamed, a regional analyst and former Israeli intelligence official, said: Newsweek, “Israel has signaled that moving to the next stage of its war plan against Hezbollah is a viable option, but not inevitable.”

“Iran and Hezbollah are interested in ending the skirmish with Israel, especially after the serious blow Hezbollah suffered,” he continued. “I predict that Iranian pressure on (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar to reach an agreement that at least temporarily halts the fighting in Gaza will intensify.”

When asked if he was concerned about the growing conflict in the Middle East, President Joe Biden said yes, according to a tweet posted Sunday afternoon on X (formerly Twitter) by Kellie Meyer, NewsNation’s Washington correspondent.

“We will do everything we can to prevent a broader war from breaking out. And we continue to press hard,” Biden added.

Update 9/22/24 4:45 PM ET: This article has been updated with additional information.