Shafaq News- New York
Twenty-four countries expressed concern on Wednesday at the United Nations over the renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah, ahead of a UN Security Council meeting dedicated to the Middle East conflict.
In a statement read by French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont on behalf of the signatory countries, the group called on Israel to refrain from targeting civilian infrastructure and densely populated areas.
“We urge Israel to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement noted.
In addition to France, the statement was signed by Armenia, Austria, Bahrain, Cambodia, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Nepal, North Macedonia, Panama, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, and Uruguay.
The statement came as the conflict in the region has widened in recent weeks. On March 2, the war expanded to Lebanon after Israel and the United States began a sustained attack on Iran on February 28 that has left hundreds dead, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The Israeli military announced that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered the Golani Brigade to move from the Southern Command to the Northern Command following a new security assessment. Additional reinforcements, it indicated, may follow depending on developments along the front with Lebanon.
In remarks to Al-Araby TV, Mahmoud Qomati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council, said the group’s actions were not meant to support Iran but were taken as a “defensive action” after monitoring Israeli military mobilization along Lebanon’s southern border. He stressed that Hezbollah’s decision-making is independent of the Lebanese state and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have continued since the ceasefire agreement.
The Lebanese Health Ministry last reported 634 deaths from Israeli strikes that targeted several areas in the country since March 2. Among the victims are at least 83 children and 42 women, according to Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine. Health officials also reported that nine paramedics were killed and 16 others wounded while carrying out rescue missions. The number of injured has exceeded 1,586, while more than 750,000 people have been displaced from southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, and Beirut’s southern suburbs.