UN urges states to use sway now over Israel, Hezbollah to avoid war
(VOVWORLD) - A top United Nations official on Friday urged all countries with influence over Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah "to leverage it now" to avoid an escalation of Middle East violence that she warned could dwarf the devastation seen so far.
 Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs of United Nations, attends the plenary session during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. (Photo: REUTERS) |
UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council after attacks in which Hezbollah's pagers and walkie-talkies exploded, killing 37 people and wounding thousands. Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib accused Israel of carrying out the attacks.
Hezbollah has been rocketing Israel in sympathy with the Palestinians.
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press a new military campaign until it secures the area around the Lebanese border.
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the Security Council that Israel does not seek a wider conflict, but that it will not allow Hezbollah to continue its provocations. He accused Hezbollah of violating international law.