UN warns against ‘large-scale ground invasion’ in Lebanon

Comments come as Israeli troops locked in fierce clashes inside Lebanon

Geneva: The United Nations warned Israel on Tuesday against a “large-scale ground invasion” of Lebanon, after the Israeli military began a ground assault.

“With armed violence between Israel and Hezbollah boiling over, the consequences for civilians have already been terrible,” Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the UN rights office, told reporters in Geneva.

“We fear a large-scale ground invasion by Israel into Lebanon would only result in greater suffering,” she warned.

Her comment came as Israeli troops were locked in fierce clashes inside Lebanon after launching a ground offensive early on Tuesday, after a week of deadly airstrikes.

Before the ground assault, Israel’s escalating strikes on Lebanon reportedly killed more than 1,000 people in just two weeks, Throssell pointed out.

The violence has also forced up to a million people to flee their homes, according to Lebanese officials.

Israel has widened its attacks in recent days to include Lebanon as well as the Gaza Strip, targeting Iran’s regional ally, Hezbollah.

Regional conflagration

Hezbollah has been launching low-intensity strikes on Israeli troops since its Palestinian ally Hamas launched an unprecedented attack in Israel on October 7.

Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has devastated the densely populated Palestinian territory and killed tens of thousands.

Throssell pointed out that even before the most recent escalation, “tens of thousands of homes across Lebanon had been reportedly damaged or destroyed” as Israel hit back at Hezbollah.

“Medical facilities have been damaged, with 10 percent of health centres in Lebanon closed,” she said.

Since October 2023, 41 medical workers in Lebanon have reportedly been killed and 111 wounded, “with 14 killed in the last two days alone”.

The ground assault came after Israel targeted south Beirut, Damascus and Gaza, despite international calls for restraint to avoid a regional conflagration.

“We are gravely concerned by the widening hostilities in the Middle East and their potential to engulf the entire region in a humanitarian and human rights catastrophe,” Throssell said.

“The prospects that the situation may deteriorate further with terrible impact on civilians, and that it could rapidly expand to embroil other states in the region, are real.”