On Friday, the United Nations expressed serious concern regarding the recent Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, which resulted in the deaths of prominent Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil and other key figures from Hezbollah’s Radwan Force.
“We are, of course, very concerned about the heightened escalation… including the deadly strikes we saw in Beirut today. We urge all parties to deescalate immediately. All must exercise maximum restraint,” stated Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as reported by AFP.
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari remarked that Aqil and other senior members of the Radwan Force were sheltering “underground, beneath a residential building in the heart of the Dahieh neighborhood, using civilians as human shields. They had gathered to coordinate terrorist activities against the citizens of Israel.”
“Aqil and the Radwan Force commanders we struck were the masterminds of and the force behind Hezbollah’s plan to execute an attack on Northern Israel on what they referred to as the ‘Plan to Conquer the Galilee.’ As part of this plan, Hezbollah intended to infiltrate Israel, seize control of the communities in the Galilee, and to kill and kidnap Israeli civilians, much like Hamas did on October 7th. Since October 8th, these commanders led attacks against Israel’s citizens and were planning further operations,” Hagari added.
Following the airstrikes, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi stated, “The Hezbollah commanders we eliminated today had been planning their ‘October 7th’ on the northern border for years. We reached them, and we will reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens.”
Guterres has been vocal in his criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza against Hamas militants.
In late October, the UN Secretary-General remarked that Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7 “did not happen in a vacuum” and seemed to implicate Israel in the circumstances surrounding the attack.
After facing widespread backlash, the UN chief clarified that his remarks had been misinterpreted and asserted that he had indeed condemned Hamas.
He later noted the sexual violence committed by Hamas during its October 7 assault on Israel, mentioning it alongside “reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.”
Earlier this week, Guterres accused Israel of enacting “collective punishment” on the residents of Gaza.
“It is unimaginable, the level of suffering in Gaza, the level of deaths and destruction have no parallel in everything I’ve witnessed since (becoming) Secretary-General,” Guterres told AFP.
“We all condemn the terror attacks made by Hamas, as well as the taking of the hostages, that is an absolute violation of international humanitarian law,” he continued.
“But the truth is that nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people, and that is what we are witnessing in a dramatic way in Gaza,” Guterres stated.
{Matzav.com Israel}