Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, has publicly endorsed efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon, a significant shift in its stance as it has previously linked such calls to the end of the conflict in Gaza.
“We support the political efforts led by (Parliament Speaker Nabih) Berri under the banner of achieving a ceasefire. Once the ceasefire is firmly established and diplomacy can reach it, all other details will be discussed and decisions will be made collaboratively,” Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem said in a televised address on Tuesday.
Despite facing heavy setbacks in recent weeks, Qassem maintained that Hezbollah’s capabilities remain intact and its fighters continue to repel Israeli ground incursions. He warned, however, that the group would expand its rocket attacks deeper into Israel, potentially displacing more Israeli civilians.
Qassem added that they are firing hundreds of rockets and dozens of drones, warning that a large number of Israeli settlements and cities are under their fire.
Meanwhile, UN humanitarian officials have expressed deep concern about the parallels between the current situation in Lebanon and the devastation seen in Gaza during the recent war. They warned of a potential “spiral of doom” if immediate action isn’t taken to prevent the same pattern of civilian casualties and widespread destruction.
“We need to do everything we can to stop that from happening,” said Matthew Hollingworth, Lebanon country director for the United Nations’ World Food Program.
Hollingworth, who previously coordinated WFP operations in Gaza, underscored the troubling similarities in the methods of warfare employed by Israel, highlighting the shared risk of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
“It is in my mind from the time I wake until the time I sleep, that we could go into the same sort of spiral of doom… We shouldn’t allow that to happen,” he said.
The death toll from Israeli occupation air strikes on Lebanon over the past year has reached 2,083, while 9,869 others were injured, according to data from the Lebanese Health Ministry.
James Elder, spokesman for UNICEF, echoed the concerns, stating that “the commonalities are unfortunately absolutely there to be seen, whether it is displacement on the ground, impact upon children or language being used … (to) soften the realities on the ground”.
“We are seeing the same patterns that we saw in Gaza,” added Jeremy Laurence of the UN rights office.
“The devastation is beyond belief for all people in Lebanon as it is in Gaza. We can’t let this happen again,” Laurence said.
This comes as Israel announced the deployment of a fourth division of troops invading Lebanon on Tuesday, expanding its front with Hezbollah and bringing the likely total number of its soldiers in the country to more than 15,000.
The new division was deployed in the western part of southern Lebanon, with Israeli troops already operating in the east and central areas of the region.
The mayor of Beirut, Abdallah Darwich, described a chilling reality in the city, claiming that “no safe place” remains in the wake of Israel’s assassination campaign in Lebanon.
Darwich highlighted two recent strikes in the heart of the city, in Bachoura and Cola, which targeted members of Hezbollah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. One of the strikes destroyed a health clinic, demonstrating the indiscriminate nature of the attacks.
“You do not know who is living in this building or that building, so you do not know if there is a target there.
“You can no longer say Beirut is safe. Where the next Israeli target is, nobody knows,” Darwich said.
Nabih Berri, the leader of the Shiite Amal party, a key ally of Hezbollah, has been a prominent figure in negotiations for a ceasefire mediated by Western nations.
Last week, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a temporary ceasefire proposed by US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other allies during last month’s UN General Assembly. However, Nasrallah was assassinated by Israel shortly after.
Meanwhile, Iran issued a stern warning to Israel against attacking its infrastructure, promising a strong response.
“Any attack against infrastructure in Iran will provoke an even stronger response,” state television quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Rassul Sanairad echoed the warning on Sunday, declaring that any attack on nuclear or energy sites would cross a “red line.”
An official statement on Monday quoted Araghchi as saying that Iran did not seek war in the region.
