The United Nations and representatives from the international community raised urgent concerns on Saturday about the rising violence between Lebanon and Israel as Lebanese Health Minister reported the death toll in its country has reached 1,640 since October 8 last year.
Firas Abiad, Lebanese caretaker Public Health Minister, said on Saturday that since the outbreak of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, there have been 1,640 deaths and 8,408 injuries reported within Lebanon. Since September 16, 2024, there have been 1,030 deaths and 6,352 injuries reported within Lebanon, the minister added.
Countries and anti-Israel factions in the Middle East on Saturday strongly condemned a previous Israeli attack that killed Hezbollah Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.
On Friday evening, Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on Hezbollah's main headquarters in Dahieh, in which the Israeli military said Nasrallah along with some other group commanders were killed. Hezbollah on Saturday confirmed Nasrallah's death.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut, Lebanon, in the last 24 hours, his spokesman said on Saturday.
"This cycle of violence must stop now, and all sides must step back from the brink," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary-general, said in a statement.
"The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war," the statement said.
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati held a cabinet meeting on Saturday evening. He condemned Israel's disregard for law and legitimacy, citing a series of attacks in southern Beirut as clear evidence. He reiterated his call for the international community to work to stop Israel's aggression and compel it to comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions.
On the same day, Hamas issued a statement mourning Hezbollah leader Nasrallah and condemning Israel's acts of aggression.
Hamas emphasized that Israel's attacks on residential buildings in southern Beirut and its aggression against Lebanon are "outrageous." It accused Israel of openly threatening international security and peace, posing a danger to the region's safety and stability. Hamas also pledged solidarity with Hezbollah to resist Israeli aggression.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Saturday announced a three-day national mourning in honor of the "martyrdom" of Nasrallah and condemned the Israeli airstrikes. Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid said that Israel's acts of aggression pose a serious threat to the security and stability of the region.
Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthi group described Nasrallah's passing as a "huge loss" and "a curse that haunts Israel until it is uprooted." The group declared three days of mourning and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning Israel's actions in murdering Hezbollah leader, saying that this brings severe consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East. Russia called on Israel to immediately cease military operations to create conditions for crisis mediation.
Lebanese authorities on Saturday requested that an Iranian civilian plane avoid entering the country's airspace after Israel threatened to use force against it, local TV channel MTV reported.
Israel warned the air traffic control at the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport that it would use "force" if the plane landed, according to the report.
Following the Israeli warning, Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh informed the airport that the plane should not land or enter Lebanese airspace.
Israeli forces continued bombing areas on Saturday including the Lebanese capital, Beirut, targeting Hezbollah. That evening, Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported that the attacks on Lebanon on Saturday resulted in 33 deaths and 195 injuries.
Yemen's Houthi group claimed on Saturday that it had launched a missile attack on the Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv in Israel.
In a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said a "ballistic missile" was fired at the Ben Gurion Airport "upon the arrival" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned to the country on Saturday after addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces said it successfully intercepted a surface-to-surface missile launched from Yemen, which triggered air raid sirens across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv.
This is the second missile attack claimed by the Houthis against Israel within two days after the group claimed a ballistic missile attack on a military target in the Jaffa area of Tel Aviv on Friday.
Int'l community shares grave concerns over Israel-Lebanon conflict as death toll reaches 1,640
