Moscow strongly condemns the large-scale military strikes carried out by Israel against Lebanon, said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.
Commenting on the situation in the Middle East, the diplomat stressed that the sharp deterioration of the situation in Lebanon is a cause for deep concern.
“On September 23, the Israeli leadership announced the start of the IDF offensive operation, dubbed Northern Arrows, with the stated goal of undermining the military infrastructure of the Hezbollah movement. The Israeli Air Force began carrying out massive airstrikes on Lebanese territory. Dozens of settlements in the south and east of the country were attacked. “Hezbollah, in turn, intensified rocket attacks on military targets in Israel.” – he pointed out.
“We strongly condemn the large-scale military attacks being carried out against Lebanon. We would particularly like to emphasize our principled position on the categorical inadmissibility of indiscriminate attacks against civilians.” – the diplomat stressed.
Zakharova also said there was a need to “urgently stop the spiral of violence before the situation gets completely out of control.”
“We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, which would prevent further bloodshed and create the conditions for moving the situation towards a political and diplomatic solution. “Everything must be done to prevent the Middle East from being plunged into a full-scale armed conflict, the devastating consequences of which will inevitably affect everyone, both in the region and beyond.” – says his comment.
According to the diplomat, the Russian Federation is ready to “coordinate with international and regional partners to avoid such a catastrophic scenario.”
“We proceed from the fact that the security of any state in the region should not be guaranteed at the expense of others,” – said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The diplomat recalled the current recommendations for Russian citizens to refrain from traveling to Lebanon.
“We remind you of the current recommendations for Russian citizens to refrain from travelling to Lebanon. Those currently in the country should take extreme precautions and follow the instructions of local authorities to ensure that security measures are in place,” he stressed. “Those wishing to leave Lebanon can take commercial flights via Beirut International Airport, which remains operational.”
As reported yesterday, an official representative of the Israel Defense Forces Daniel Hagari The Lebanese Air Force reported that it carried out strikes against 1,300 military targets of the Shiite movement Hezbollah across Lebanon in one day. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 490 people were killed and more than 1,600 were injured as a result of the Israeli raids.
