UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥 The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday demanded a halt to the increasing attacks between Lebanon鈥檚 Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces and warned that further escalation 鈥渃arries the high risk of leading to a widespread conflict.鈥
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah pulled back after an exchange of heavy fire across the U.N.-drawn boundary between Lebanon and Israel over the weekend. But their decades-old conflict is far from over and regional tensions linked to the are still high.
The Security Council demand that Israel and Hezbollah halt hostilities 鈥 which is not legally binding 鈥 came in a French-drafted resolution unanimously approved by its 15 members, urging the 鈥渞elevant actors鈥 to restore 鈥渃alm, restraint and stability.鈥
鈥淭he risk of open warfare remains real, and we are mobilized alongside our regional and international partners to avoid a regional conflagration,鈥 France鈥檚 deputy U.N. ambassador, Nathalie Broadhurst, said before the vote.
Israel鈥檚 U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, told reporters that he had a message for the Lebanese people: 鈥淵ou and your government have a choice to make, confront Hezbollah today or watch as your country is dragged into chaos and destruction.鈥
Lebanon鈥檚 representative, Hadi Hachem, was far more diplomatic, thanking the council after the vote for its clear message 鈥渋n favor of stability and a cease-fire.鈥 And he urged members: 鈥淟et鈥檚 work together, not only to end the escalation鈥 but toward 鈥渁 just and comprehensive peace.鈥
The resolution extended for another year the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL, which was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after a 1978 invasion and has been there ever since.
The Security Council expanded the mission after a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah so that peacekeepers could deploy along the Lebanon-Israel border to help Lebanese troops extend their authority into their country鈥檚 south for the first time in decades. That resolution also called for a full cessation of Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities, which has not happened.
Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the U.N. mission of collusion with Israel, while Israel has accused the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to Hezbollah鈥檚 military activities in southern Lebanon.
During the ongoing clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL facilities or vehicles have been hit by shelling or gunfire on several occasions. Earlier this month, UNIFIL said three peacekeepers on patrol were lightly injured when an explosion happened near their vehicle.
Israel鈥檚 Danon blamed Hezbollah for launching unprovoked attacks against Israel starting the day after Hamas鈥 Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel, which ignited the war in Gaza. Since then, he said, more than 8,000 rockets, 300 explosive drones and 1,500 anti-tank missiles have been launched against Israel, forcing over 60,000 Israelis in the north to leave their homes.
Danon accused Hezbollah of firing from southern Lebanon 鈥 within UNIFIL鈥檚 area of operations 鈥 in violation of the 2006 cease-fire resolution and showed the council photos that he claimed were near some of its facilities.
There will be no stability while Hezbollah鈥檚 鈥渕assive military buildup鈥 is ignored, he said.
Israel is determined to return its civilians to their homes, and while it favors diplomacy, Danon warned that 鈥渢ime is running out.鈥 If diplomacy fails, 鈥渨e will use all the necessary means to restore calm and stability to the north of Israel," he said.
Israeli ally the United States supported Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah attacks.
鈥淟ebanon should not be a haven for terrorist organizations or a launch pad for attacks against Israel,鈥 U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood told the council, saying that Iran is violating the arms embargo in the 2006 resolution by providing Hezbollah with the majority of weapons it fires against Israel.
Algeria, the Arab representative on the council, and Russia said the crisis in Lebanon and the wider Middle East has deeper roots.
Nacim Gaouaoui, Algeria鈥檚 deputy U.N. ambassador, underscored the importance of UNIFIL鈥檚 role in ending hostilities but said it鈥檚 鈥渁 critical moment for our region because of the brutal assault on the unarmed Palestinian people, in particular in the Gaza Strip.鈥
鈥淢y delegation believes that the leading reason for instability in the Middle East is the occupation of Arab territory,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he end of occupation is the condition for peace and security in the region.鈥
That view was echoed by Russia鈥檚 deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, who said, 鈥淚t is clear that the current political military escalation is linked directly to the fact that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains unresolved and the unprecedented escalation in Gaza.鈥
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Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.
