Russia warns of risk of “complete destabilization” in the Middle East

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September 24 () –

Russian authorities warned Tuesday that the escalation of hostilities between Israel and the Shiite militia-party Hezbollah, including the bombings carried out on Monday by the Israeli army against Lebanese territory, which left nearly 500 dead, pose a threat of “complete destabilization” in the Middle East.

“This is certainly an extremely dangerous event,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, stressing that the possible consequences include “an expansion of the conflict” and “complete destabilization of the region,” according to the Russian news agency TASS. “This causes us great concern,” he said.

For his part, the Russian ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Rudakov, has recommended that “those who do not feel safe and are in Lebanon” “use commercial flights while the airport continues to operate almost normally,” according to the Rossiya 24 television channel.

In this regard, the Russian ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, has reiterated Moscow’s recommendation against trips to the country. “We do not prohibit visits by our citizens to Israel, but we ask them to take a balanced position on the need for such visits and to carry them out only in situations of extreme necessity.”

Tensions have been rising in recent days, particularly following last week’s wave of coordinated bombings of communications equipment allegedly used by Hezbollah, which left around 40 people dead and 3,000 wounded. More than 50 people were killed Friday in Israel’s airstrike south of the Lebanese capital Beirut, including Ibrahim Akil, a senior Hezbollah official.

Hostilities in the region erupted after the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinian factions launched a series of attacks against Israel on October 7, leaving nearly 1,200 people dead and more than 250 hostages. The Israeli army then launched a bloody military campaign against Gaza that has so far left more than 41,400 dead, in addition to more than 700 Palestinians killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The October 7 attacks, dubbed the “Al-Aqsa Flood” by Hamas and its allies, also led to the opening of a front on the border between Israel and Lebanon, with constant fighting for more than eleven months. In addition, the Houthis and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq have launched missiles and drones against Israel – which has carried out bombings against territory in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen – in response to its offensive against Gaza.