From the Liveblog of
Friday, June 7, 2024
Guterres warns of risk of broader conflict along Israel-Lebanon border
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for an end to hostilities along the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, warning of the risk of a broader conflict.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the northern border area warned Wednesday that Israel was “prepared for a very intense operation” along the border.
Daily exchanges of artillery fire between Hezbollah and Israel have intensified in recent days.
“As the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line continue, the Secretary-General renews his calls to the parties to urgently cease fire,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric says in a statement, referring to the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon.
“These exchanges of fire could trigger a broader conflict with devastating consequences for the region,” he adds.
Guterres also calls for the upholding of UNSC Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. The terror group has not complied with the resolution, which stipulated that it must retreat from the border with Israel to the north of the Litani River. But Guterres’s statement avoids criticizing Hezbollah for this violation.
