U.N. warns that West Asia violence could escalate into devastating conflagration

Residents look on as rescuers arrive at the scene of an Israeli missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, on September 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

A senior United Nations official told the Security Council on Friday (September 20, 2024) that further violence between Israel and Iran-aligned groups Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon risked igniting a far more damaging conflict.

“We risk seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far,” UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the 15-member council, which met about attacks this week on Hezbollah.

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“It is not too late to avoid such folly. There is still room for diplomacy,” she said. “I also strongly urge Member States with influence over the parties to leverage it now.”

As its war in Gaza nears one year old, 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.

The strike followed two days of attacks in which Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies exploded, killing 37 people and wounding thousands. Those attacks were widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

“It is imperative that even as facts emerge about the latest incidents – in which I reiterate, the United States played no role – all parties refrain from any actions which could plunge the region into a devastating war,” Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood told the council.

He said the U.S. expects all parties to comply with international humanitarian law and take all reasonable steps to minimize harm to civilians, especially in densely populated areas.

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border since Hezbollah began rocketing Israel in October in sympathy with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is fighting Hamas.

Israel, which last fought an all-out war against Hezbollah 18 years ago, has said it will use force if necessary to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in northern Israel.

U.N. human right chief Volker Turk said it was “difficult to conceive” how the attacks on Hezbollah’s communications devices “could possibly conform with the key principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack, under international humanitarian law.”

Mr. Turk called for an independent, thorough and transparent investigation and for those who ordered and carried out the attacks to be held to account.