UN aid chief warns of a long Israel-Hezbollah war, risking a fresh occupation in Lebanon and further displacement amid regional tensions.
UNITED NATIONS: UN aid chief Tom Fletcher expressed deep concern that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could be protracted.
He warned it risks creating a “fresh occupation” in southern Lebanon.
Fletcher shared his impressions following a brief trip to Lebanon.
“One depressing impression I had… there was a sense of despair and despondency and anxiety,” he told a press conference.
He stated there is a widespread sense the conflict will be long-running.
Fletcher fears even a resolution to the broader US-Israel-Iran tensions may not end the Israel-Hezbollah fighting soon.
One of his major worries is “a real danger of a fresh occupation, of a fresh occupied territory in southern Lebanon.” He also expressed fears about the fracturing of national cohesion in Lebanon.
Fletcher stressed the importance of all Lebanese parties pulling together. He noted this is a moment of real fragility with many people displaced.
Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East war after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel. This was to avenge a US-Israeli attack that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israel has responded with massive strikes and a ground offensive in Lebanon. Lebanese authorities report the hostilities have killed more than 1,300 people.
The conflict has also displaced more than a million others within Lebanon.