UN chief warns Lebanon must not become ‘Next Gaza’ as regional conflict spirals

WEB DESK: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a stark warning that Lebanon must not be condemned to the same level of devastation witnessed in Gaza, describing the current Middle East escalation as “out of control.”

According to the Express Tribune, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Guterres expressed grave concern over the intensifying hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

He insisted that the “Gaza model” of total urban destruction must not be replicated across the Lebanese border. His comments follow weeks of direct military exchanges involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, which have pushed the region to the brink of a total breakdown.

“Across the region, and far beyond, civilians are enduring serious harm and living under profound insecurity,” the UN chief remarked, noting that he had witnessed the humanitarian fallout firsthand during a recent visit to the country.

A region staring down the barrel of wider war

The Secretary-General’s intervention comes at a moment of unprecedented volatility, triggered by US-Israeli strikes in late February that resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

Guterres noted that the conflict has now “broken past the limits” previously imagined by global leaders, leading to a “rising tide of human suffering” and significant global economic instability.

In a bid to contain the fallout, he announced the appointment of veteran French diplomat Jean Arnault as a special envoy to lead UN mediation efforts.

Addressing the combatants directly, Mr Guterres called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, demanding that Hezbollah halt its rocket fire and that Israel end its strikes on Lebanese soil, which he warned are “hitting civilians the hardest.”