The UNSC emergency session on Lebanon condemned the Israeli attack on the country, with many labeling it as a war crime and requesting a full and transparent probe into the matter.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency session on Friday to discuss the Israeli cyber-terror attacks that hit Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, claiming the lives of scores of Lebanese civilians and injuring thousands of others.
The UN Political Affairs Chief Rosemary DiCarlo said in her address to the session that the ongoing exchange of fire between Israel and the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah comes in “breach of the cessation of hostilities and in violation of resolution 1701.”
The UN official warned of the escalation of violence.
“The risk of further expansion of this cycle of violence is extremely serious and poses a grave threat to the stability of Lebanon, Israel and the whole region,” DiCarlo stated.
DiCarlo stressed that the threat to security and stability is extremely serious and is not only limited to Lebanon but to the entire region, urging member states “with influence over the parties to leverage it now.”
The UN diplomat noted that it is still not too late to use diplomacy to avoid additional “devastation and suffering.”
DiCarlo ended her intervention by reminding the audience of the ongoing war in Gaza and the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire and release of captives in the Strip, echoing the UN’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ repeated call on the matter.
‘Full Solidarity’ – Algeria
The Algerian UN envoy Amar Bendjama, whose country requested the session, voiced Algeria’s “full solidarity” with Lebanon labeling the attacks by Israel as “acts of aggression” that “amount to war crimes.”
Bendjama criticized Israel for “turning civilian devices into bombs” and “threatening the safety of all and posing a significant threat.”
The Algerian diplomat stated that Israel is not interested in peace quoting as proof the threats made by Israeli officials against Lebanon of waging “a large-scale war in Lebanon” and the airstrike that took place on Friday in Beirut’s southern district that resulted in the death and injury of many Lebanese civilians including children.
Bendjama urged the Security Council to work on enforcing resolution 1701 to stop the ongoing hostilities and restore stability, demanding at the same time, that Israel stop its assault and withdraw from all Lebanese-occupied territories.
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Blaming Iran – US
The American deputy envoy Robert Wood, on his part, reiterated that his country had no role in the attacks carried out by Israel in Lebanon.
“The Security Council cannot ignore the origins of this particular conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, he said, claiming that Hezbollah receives “training, arms and financing from Iran,” and accusing Tehran of supporting the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
While reiterating the solid American support of Israel against Hezbollah’s attacks, the US deputy envoy stressed that the diplomatic option is the one that will halt these hostilities.
“The US continues to believe a diplomatic resolution is the only way to create the conditions for displaced Lebanese and Israeli civilians to return to their homes with safety and security,” Wood stressed.
‘Unheard in History’ – China
China, through its envoy Fu Cong, deplored the Israeli terror-cyber attack labeling it as “unheard of in history.”
“This practice is, without a doubt, a gross violation of a country’s sovereignty and security and a blatant breach of international law, particularly international humanitarian law, is an act that tramples on human lives with unconscionable callousness,” Cong stressed.
The Chinese envoy requested “a full investigation” of the attacks that took place in Lebanon and urged Israel to “forego its obsession with the use of force and to halt without delay, its militia operations in Gaza, its violations of Lebanon sovereignty and security, and its adventurism that risks dragging the region into yet another devastating catastrophe.”
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‘Provoking War’ – Russia
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia described the explosions as a “terrorist attack,” which is the result of the US administration’s “pseudo diplomacy.”
He accused the perpetrators’ attacks to “have deliberately been seeking to foment a large-scale military confrontation.”
“They have striven to provoke a new major Middle East war,” Nebenzia said, stressing that it is not the first time for them to do that.
‘Terrorist Aggression’ – Lebanon
The Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib, who flew from Beirut to attend the session, told member states that the Israeli cyber-attacks “represent a serious, unprecedented event in the history of wars.”
“They come in the aftermath of Israeli declarations concerning a full-scale war on Lebanon, sending Lebanon back to the ‘Stone Age,’” he added.
He stressed that the Israeli “terrorist aggression” comes in violation of “the basic principles of international humanitarian law and did not distinguish between civilians and military personnel.”
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“It is clear that Israel continues to ignore the international legitimacy here and human rights because it is used to never be held accountable,” the Lebanese Foreign Minister added.
He demanded a stop to Israel’s impunity.
“Israel cannot remain in the Middle East unless it makes peace with the peoples of this region,” he added.
Bouhabib ended his intervention by requesting that the Security Council force Israel to halt its violence and implement all UNSC resolutions, stressing that failure to do so will lead the whole region to a war that will threaten the West as well.
(Anadolu, PC)
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