The crossfire between Israel and Lebanon creates a serious risk of all-out war in the Middle East, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told Euronews in Brussels.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix is particularly concerned about the attacks on Israel from southern Lebanon – on the so-called Blue Line, demarcated by the UN – by the Hezbollah militia, supported by Iran, and the actions of the Tel Aviv government in its northern neighborincluding the capital, Beirut.
The diplomat recently visited the region and spoke to ‘Euronews’ about the need for political de-escalationbefore attending the EU Defence Ministers Council in Brussels on Friday.
“I pay special attention to the situation we have with our UNIFIL mission (UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon) and the The risk of escalation remains very serious“We are talking about a regional escalation because this situation in Gaza, and several other situations in the Middle East, are all very interconnected,” the senior French diplomat explained.
The Middle East, after the conflict between Israel and Hamas
Since Israel began its military operation in the Gaza Strip following a terrorist attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas On October 7, 2023, several incidents have highlighted the spread of the conflict to neighboring countries.
The most important is Iranespecially for its support of militias, not only in Lebanon, but also in Yemen, Iraq and Syria. These militias have increased their attacks, which they justify in retaliation for Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian territories.
“We have seen episodes of retaliation that contribute to maintaining a high risk of regional escalation “beyond what we are already seeing in Gaza. So obviously the ongoing efforts in the peace talks in Gaza are extremely important,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
Risks of retaliation from Iran
After the current war in gazaOne of the most tense moments between Israel and Iran took place in the spring, when Israeli airstrikes on Damascus, the Syrian capital, killed Iranian officials meeting in a diplomatic building on April 1.
Two weeks later, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israeli territory, with a volley of 300 missiles and dronesalmost all of which were repelled by anti-aircraft defence systems (Tel Aviv was assisted by US military means in the region).
There have been other cases of civilian casualties, but the situation worsened when Senior Hamas politician Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran (Iranian capital) on July 31, where he had traveled to attend the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
He Israeli government He has not confirmed this, but has not denied responsibility for the explosion that killed the leader in his hotel room, an operation allegedly carried out by the Israeli secret services.
The next day, the United States reinforced its military deployment in the Middle East, as Iran vowed to retaliate against Israel. Nearly a month later, the threat has yet to materialize, but the UN is concerned.
“Iran is obviously an important player in the region, participating in various ways in the discussions that are taking place to try to achieve peace. After what happened in Tehran, there is speculation about a possible reaction from Iran, but I am not going to contribute to that,” said the deputy secretary general of the UN.
What future awaits Gaza after the ceasefire?
Several members of the UN Security Council They talk about the possibility of creating a future mission to maintain the peace in gaza. But Lacroix claims that “it is premature”as it would require the agreement of the parties involved, directly and indirectly, in the conflict, and the unanimous vote of the five members of the UN Security Council (the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom).
But there is another important condition for the diplomat: “Any presence of third parties -and this certainly applies to UN peacekeeping missions- It must also be accepted by local communities.“They have to consider that the mission would make a positive difference in their lives.”
At the request of the EU and other powers, Israel just agreed to three pauses in Gaza fightingstarting next week, to allow for a polio vaccination campaign for some 640,000 children.
ADVERTISINGBut negotiations for a long-term ceasefire agreement, proposed by the US and negotiated with the help of Qatar and Egypt, remain stalled.
What future for multilateralism?
The United Nations will organize a Future Summit on September 22 and 23 at its headquarters in New York (USA), with the aim of building a consensus among the 193 countries to strengthen multilateralism and collective responses to the challenges of peace and security, disarmament, climate change and sustainable development.
“When it comes to peacekeeping missions, member states should provide more political support, in addition to sending soldiers.“Peacekeeping missions do not have military objectives, but rather political ones, and must rely on other tools such as the fight against disinformation, cross-border criminal activities and climate change, which are increasingly fuelling conflicts,” explained Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
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