United Nations, Oct 9: Lebanon is "on the verge of an all-out war", but there is still time to stop, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said.

Speaking to reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, Guterres said on Tuesday that the Middle East "is a powder keg with many parties holding the match".

"I have warned for months of the risks of the conflict spreading," said the UN chief, adding that the situation in the occupied West Bank is "boiling over," and attacks in Lebanon are threatening the entire region.

He said that over the last few days, exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and others in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces have intensified across the Blue Line, in total disregard of Security Council resolutions 1701 and 1559, Xinhua news agency reported.

Guterres noted that large-scale Israeli strikes deep into Lebanon, including Beirut, have killed more than 2,000 people over the last year -- and 1,500 in just the past two weeks alone, and attacks by Hezbollah and others south of the Blue Line have killed at least 49 people over the last year. In addition, Lebanese authorities report over 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon, and 300,000 people have fled into Syria, while over 60,000 people remain displaced from northern Israel.

"We are on the verge of an all-out war in Lebanon, with already devastating consequences. But there is still time to stop," he said.

"The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected," he stressed.

The secretary-general commended the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, for continuing "to carry out their mandates to the extent possible," and called on all actors to ensure their safety and security.

Guterres said the past year "has been a year of crises -- humanitarian crisis, political crisis, diplomatic crisis, and a moral crisis," and "the nightmare in Gaza is now entering an atrocious, abominable second year."

Over the last year, following the attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, "Gaza has become ground zero to a level of human suffering that is hard to fathom," with over 41,000 Palestinians reportedly killed, mostly women and children, and thousands more missing, he said.

"Virtually the entire population has been displaced -- and no part of Gaza has been spared," said Guterres. "No place is safe in Gaza and no one is safe."

He underscored that international law is unambiguous: "Civilians everywhere must be respected and protected, and their essential needs must be met, including through humanitarian assistance," and strongly condemned all violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.

The UN chief reiterated the calls for an immediate ceasefire both in Gaza and Lebanon, the immediate and unconditional release of hostages, and immediate lifesaving aid to all those who desperately need it, and the calls for irreversible action for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

--IANS

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