The world organisation has warned of a “growing risk of full-blown war” along the Lebanon-Israel border, where 901 Indian peacekeepers are deployed.
“The United Nations is deeply concerned by the increase in the intensity of gunfire along the Blue Line yesterday, which increases the risk of a full-scale war,” the office of the spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday.
It further said, “Its severity can and must be avoided. We reiterate that the risk of a sudden and widespread fire outbreak due to miscalculation is real.”
After an Israeli drone killed a senior Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, the militia responded by firing 100 rockets at Israel.
Iran-backed Hezbollah has threatened to continue attacks on Israel in solidarity with Hamas over the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Decades-old tensions in the region have escalated since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, prompting Israel to retaliate by attacking Gaza under its control.
In solidarity with Hamas, Hezbollah said attacks on Israel would continue until there was a ceasefire in Gaza, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Civilians suffer the most from attacks between Hezbollah and Israel.
Around 60,000 Lebanese have reportedly been displaced, and according to United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about 20,000 Israelis have also been forced to flee border areas due to the attacks.
“Israel has effectively lost its sovereignty in the northern part of its country, as people are not safe to return to their homes,” he said on Monday, underlining the risks of war.
He said it was necessary to reach an agreement through diplomacy to eliminate security risks and ensure “troops are withdrawn”.
The spokesperson’s office also stressed that “political and diplomatic solutions are the only viable way forward.”
The Indian peacekeepers are part of the 10,000-member, 49-nation United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), tasked by the Security Council to work alongside the Lebanese National Forces to maintain order in the volatile region known as the Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel.
In fact, this mission also serves as a buffer between the two countries during exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Lebanese Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee visited UNIFIL on Thursday to express its support for the mission and its mandate, the spokesperson’s office said.
It said UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert met Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and stressed “the need to de-escalate tensions along the Blue Line.”
Lebanon’s hold in the region is tenuous, with Hezbollah controlling large swathes of territory.
Mohammed Naameh Nasser, whom Israel accused of carrying out rocket attacks in the country, was the second Hezbollah commander killed in less than a month.
Last month, another Hezbollah commander, Taleb Abdullah, was killed by Israel in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah retaliated with about 150 rockets and drones, but international diplomacy prevented further escalation.
Another peacekeeping mission in the region, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which is responsible for maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria, has 202 Indian soldiers deployed.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
