Top UN officials: Real danger of miscalculation leading to sudden, wider Israel-Lebanon conflict

By Reuters 16 June 2024, 5:00 am

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Illustrative - Peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) man their armored vehicle in Lebanon's southern town of Naqoura near the border with Israel, on October 15, 2023. (AFP)

BEIRUT – There is a “very real” risk that a miscalculation along Lebanon’s southern border could trigger a wider conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, two UN officials in Lebanon warn.

The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and the head of UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, Aroldo Lazaro, say in a statement that they are “deeply concerned” about the escalation along Lebanon’s border.

Iran-backed Hezbollah last week launched the largest volleys of rockets and drones yet in the eight months it has been fighting Israel, in parallel with the Israel-Hamas war.

“The danger of miscalculation leading to a sudden and wider conflict is very real,” the two officials say in a written statement.