GENEVA – The United Nations warned Israel yesterday 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 yesterday, 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.

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said it was “deeply concerned” about the Israeli ground offensive.

“We urge all parties to prioritise the protection of civilians, adhere to international humanitarian law, and engage in immediate de-escalation to prevent further loss of life, and to prevent further suffering,” OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters.

OCHA and Lebanon’s prime minister launched an urgent appeal for US$426 million to address the humanitarian crisis in the country over the next three months.

Laerke said the appeal was aimed at helping one million people, based on “the needs that we know”.

But he warned that with the latest developments, “things could get worse”.

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

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

– Nampa/AFP