Middle East Crisis Israel-Hezbollah

UN chief: Lebanon must not become the next Gaza

The war in the Middle East is “out of control,” says UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

– It is time to stop climbing the escalation ladder, and start climbing the diplomatic ladder, he tells reporters.

Guterres also says that the “Gaza model” must not be recreated in Lebanon. He emphasizes that civilians are suffering and living in insecurity because of the attacks.

He urges Hezbollah to stop attacking Israel, and Israel to end its military operations and airstrikes against Lebanon.

– The world is facing a bigger war, a rising tide of human suffering and a deeper global economic shock. This has gone too far.

Netanyahu to Expand Buffer Zone in Lebanon

Israel will expand what the government calls a buffer zone in Lebanon, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu according to AFP.

– We are expanding the zone to repel the threat from anti-tank missiles, he says in a video message.

At the same time, the Prime Minister is urging municipal leaders in northern Israel to “do everything they can” to get residents in the border area to stay, according to Haaretz.

Thousands of Lebanese have fled the area near the border with Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said yesterday that the refugees will not be allowed to return to southern Lebanon until the security of northern Israel is “guaranteed.”

Sources: Iran Demands Ceasefire Include Lebanon

Iran has told mediators that Lebanon must be included in a ceasefire agreement with the United States and Israel if any deal is to be reached, six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

That would mean that an end to the war with Iran would also mean the end of Israel's war with Hezbollah.

Disarming Hezbollah is crucial for peace and stability in Lebanon and the entire region, a top Trump administration official said. According to a source familiar with Israel's military strategy, Israel's attacks on Hezbollah and Lebanon are likely to continue even after the war with Iran.

It is still unclear whether Iran and the United States are negotiating or not. Tehran has rejected the US conditions during the day and has come up with its own, but Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said that Iran is not negotiating with the US at all. At the same time, Trump seems to be suggesting that negotiations are progressing, and that Iran has made a major energy-related concession to the United States, among other things.