Spread of Gaza war to Lebanon ‘potentially apocalyptic’: UN aid chief

AFP | Geneva

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The UN humanitarian chief voiced alarm yesterday at the prospect of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza spreading to Lebanon, warning that it was “potentially apocalyptic”.

As the war in Gaza nears its tenth month, Israel’s top ally the United States has warned of the risk of a major conflict against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon, following an escalation in cross-border fire.

Israel’s military said last week plans for an offensive in Lebanon were “approved and validated”, prompting fresh threats from Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Martin Griffiths, the UN humanitarian coordinator, told reporters in Geneva that he saw Lebanon as “the flashpoint beyond all flashpoints”, pointing to southern Lebanon in particular.

Griffiths said he had been discussing with colleagues in Jerusalem about the prospects of what might happen there.

Tragedy and deaths

“We are worried about the potential for further tragedy and deaths,” he said. “It’s potentially apocalyptic.” Griffiths, whose term finishes this week, warned that a war involving Lebanon “will draw in Syria... it will draw in others”.

And “it will of course have an impact on Gaza; of course it will have an impact on the West Bank. “It’s very alarming,” he said.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday accused Western powers of backing what he said were Israeli plans to attack Lebanon and “spread war” throughout the region.

“Israel is now setting its sights on Lebanon and we see that Western powers behind the scenes are patting Israel on the back and even supporting them,” he told lawmakers from his ruling AKP party.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Netanyahu’s plans to spread the war to the region will lead to a great disaster,” he said.

“It is ... pathetic that states that talk about freedom, human rights and justice are captives of a mentally-ill person like Netanyahu.”