Jordan warns of escalation of situation in Lebanon

Amman: Jordan warned that the escalating situation in southern Lebanon could trigger a larger regional conflict.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Sufian Qudah stressed on Sunday the importance of supporting Lebanon and complying with UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to prevent further escalation.

He called for coordinated efforts to reduce tensions and prevent the region from drifting into a larger war, Xinhua news agency reported.

Qudah also criticized the ongoing “Israeli aggression” in the Gaza Strip and the lack of progress towards a ceasefire, which he said increases the risk of a regional conflict.

He also called on the international community to take decisive action to end the conflict in Gaza, address the resulting humanitarian crisis and ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians, without compromising stability in the region.

Heavy exchanges of fire broke out between Israeli and Hezbollah forces along the Israeli-Lebanese border early Sunday morning, marking a significant escalation of their long-standing conflict.

Hezbollah said it had fired hundreds of rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported numerous preemptive strikes against Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

The escalation of hostilities increases the risk of a broader conflict involving regional and international actors, including the United States and Iran, and threatens to undermine ongoing ceasefire efforts in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been embroiled in a protracted conflict with Hamas for more than ten months.

(IANS)