Guterres Warns of the Danger of War Between Israel and Hezbollah: A 'Miscalculation' Could Lead to Catastrophe

Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed deep concern over the escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and the potential for a catastrophic war in the region. On Friday, July 1, Guterres warned that even a 'hasty action and miscalculation' could lead to a 'transnational and unimaginable catastrophe.' The UN Secretary-General added, 'The people of the region and the world cannot witness Lebanon becoming another Gaza.' Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that if a war broke out between Israel and Lebanon, Israel would turn Beirut into Gaza. The war between Israel and Hamas has caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip, with health officials in the Hamas-controlled government reporting over 37,000 deaths so far. Israel emphasizes that the Hamas militant group uses civilians as human shields. Guterres announced that UN peacekeepers are deployed in the region to work on reducing tensions and preventing miscalculations between Israel and Hezbollah. He also urged the international community to loudly and clearly state that de-escalation is not only possible but 'vital,' and that there is no military solution to this issue. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke on Thursday, June 31, about the importance of avoiding escalation at the Israel-Lebanon border and the necessity of achieving a diplomatic solution. To prevent a large-scale war, the U.S. has sent a special envoy to meet with Israeli and Lebanese officials in the region. Following the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war, Hezbollah, a group supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, has targeted Israel over the past eight months and stated that it will continue its attacks until a ceasefire is established in the Gaza Strip. The reciprocal attacks between Hezbollah and Israel have caused tens of thousands of residents from both countries to flee their cities. The Hamas group, which is supported by the Iranian government, killed 1,200 people in a terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7 last year and took about 250 hostages. Following this attack, Israel launched an assault on Gaza and declared that it would continue the war until the 'destruction of Hamas.' The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, and Israel are among the countries that have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. This report is based on reports from Reuters.