Currently, as powerfully armed Hezbollah bears down on his border, Lebanon sinks into deeper conflict, and the UN chief, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, looks on with great concern at the level of violence exhibited by the Israeli military and Hezbollah fighters.
Guterres further stated that the situation was volatile and one wrong action – one wrong step – could lead to a disaster that spread far beyond this region.
The insecurity situation along the Blue Line boundary has escalated with Hezbollah bombing rockets and drones into Israel and subsequent rocket backfire and shelling. The conflict has led to the loss of several hundred human lives and has forced several tens of thousands to flee on both sides.
United Nations forces are trying to mediate between the two countries, but some have warned that this war is of an entirely different magnitude compared to the one in Gaza.
While not as heavily armed as some of their counterparts in Gaza, they still have a substantial stockpile relative to Palestinian armed groups, and the stakes are much higher. Various sources of escalation were observed, with, for example, Israel stating it has threatened to ‘turn Beirut into Gaza’ and Hezbollah’s leader promising ‘no restraint.
Ambassadors who are involved in the process opine that the threats given by Hezbollah could be measured to ensure that there is no wider conflict being engaged by the group.
But the calculated risk is still lingering high, and Guterres has appealed to all parties to continue to engage in diplomacy in order not to be trapped in a terrible attack that could saturate and overwhelm the Israeli defense mechanism and devastate beyond comprehension both nations.
