Lebanon Could Transform Into ‘Another Gaza,’ UN Chief Warns

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Sunday that Lebanon could transform into “another Gaza” following this week’s attacks on Hezbollah.

The Lebanese militant group and the Israeli military have exchanged fire for 11 months amid Israel’s war with Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, in Gaza. But tensions escalated this week following a series of attacks on Hezbollah targeting the militant group’s electronic devices.

Hezbollah fired over 100 rockets across northern Israel early Sunday as Israel bombarded Lebanon with hundreds of strikes. Hezbollah’s rocket hits come after Israel launched an airstrike in Beirut on Friday that killed at least 45 people, including a top leader of the militant group, Ibrahim Akil, and several other fighters as well as women and children.

When asked about the recent electronic device attacks, Guterres told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in a pre-recorded interview, “There is a potential for a much stronger escalation. And that is what concerns me—the possibility of transforming Lebanon in(to) another Gaza , which I think would be a devastating tragedy for the world.”

Newsweek reached out to the UN, Israel’s foreign ministry, and Lebanon’s US embassy via email for comment on Sunday afternoon.

October 7, 2024, will mark one year since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel when some 1,200 people in Israel were killed and roughly 250 more were taken hostage. There are still about 100 hostages that remain in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel subsequently launched a military operation in Gaza that has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The fighting in Gaza has left the region in ruins and Palestinians on the brink of famine as they remain crammed in tent camps. Guterres has previously called the situation in Gaza an “epic humanitarian catastrophe.”

The US, along with Qatar and Egypt, have worked for months to get Hamas and Israel to agree to a ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

“It is for me clear that both sides are not interested in a ceasefire. And that is a tragedy because this is a war that must stop,” Guterres said ahead of this year’s annual UN summit starting Monday. Guterres said the previously proposed deals are “quite reasonable,” adding that “both sides should be in a position to accept.”

Both the UN General Assembly and Security Council have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages.

Hezbollah Electronic Device Attacks

On Tuesday, pagers used by hundreds of members of Hezbollah exploded near-simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria. The next day, more electronic devices, this time walkie-talkies, detonated in Lebanon.

At least 37 people, including two children, were killed and over 3,000 were wounded from the two attacks. Both attacks targeting Hezbollah are widely believed to be carried out by Israel, but Israel has not claimed responsibility for them.

Will Israel Invade Lebanon?

Daniel Shadmy, spokesperson for the non-governmental organization European Leadership Network-Israel (ELNET), told Newsweek earlier this week, “We have never been closer to an all-out war, but it can still be avoided as we haven’t crossed the point of no return.”

“As the tit-for-tat between Israel and Hezbollah continues, we are getting closer to a miscalculation and a dramatic escalation of hostilities,” Shadmy said.

Meanwhile, Avi Melamed, a regional analyst and former Israeli intelligence official, told Newsweek, “Israel has signaled that moving to the next stage of its war plan against Hezbollah is a real option, but it is not inevitable.”

“Iran and Hezbollah have an interest in ending the skirmish with Israel, especially after the significant blow Hezbollah suffered,” he continued. “I anticipate that Iranian pressure on (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar to reach an agreement that would at least temporarily halt the fighting in Gaza will intensify.”

When asked if he is concerned about the rising conflict in the Middle East, President Joe Biden said “yes,” according to Kellie Meyer, Washington correspondent for NewsNation, in an X, formerly Twitter, post on Sunday afternoon.

“We’re going to do everything we can to keep a wider war from breaking out. And we’re still pushing hard,” Biden added.

Update 9/22/24, 4:45 pm ET: This article has been updated with additional information.