Palestinian government says Israel is ‘seeking to expand the circle of war’ to ‘blow up the region’

He says the bombings in Lebanon represent an extension of the “war of extermination and displacement” against the Palestinian population.

September 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Palestinian government has condemned Israel’s large-scale airstrikes against Lebanon, saying they are “an attempt to expand the circle of war and aggression to blow up the entire region,” after a wave of airstrikes on Lebanese territory left nearly 500 people wounded and more than 1,600 injured.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its social media account that the attacks are “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law” and an extension of “the war of extermination and displacement” launched by Israel against the Palestinian population.

He expressed his condolences to Beirut for “the martyrs and the wounded” as well as “for the destruction of public facilities and private property,” before denouncing that the attacks “benefit the objectives and plans of the extreme right in power in Israel,” in reference to the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, made up of ultra-Orthodox and ultra-nationalists.

He also noted that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called for opening Palestinian hospitals in Lebanon to treat victims, “whether those affiliated with the Palestinian Red Crescent or those in refugee camps.” He also called on Palestinians in Lebanon to “go and donate blood to help their wounded Lebanese brothers.”

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.