MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/. Moscow strongly condemns Israel's large-scale military attacks against Lebanon, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a commentary.
The diplomat emphasized that the latest escalation in Lebanon is deeply worrying. "On September 23, the Israeli leadership announced that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces - TASS) had launched an offensive operation, dubbed ‘Northern Arrows,’ aimed at undermining the military infrastructure of the Hezbollah movement." The Israeli Air Force carried out massive airstrikes across Lebanon, with dozens of settlements in the south and east of the country being targeted. "Hezbollah, in turn, intensified its rocket attacks on military facilities in Israel," she added.
"We strongly condemn the large-scale military attacks against Lebanon. We would especially like to emphasize our principled position on the inadmissibility of indiscriminate attacks that target civilians," the diplomat stressed.
The need for a settlement
Zakharova noted the need to "urgently stop the spiral of violence before the situation gets out of control." "We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, which would prevent further bloodshed and create conditions for moving the situation toward a political and diplomatic settlement," she added. "We must do everything possible to prevent the Middle East from plunging into a full-scale armed conflict, the devastating consequences of which will inevitably affect everyone - both in the region and beyond," Zakharova stressed.
According to the diplomat, Russia is ready "to coordinate efforts with international and regional partners in order to prevent such a catastrophic scenario." "We proceed from the fact that the security of any state in the region should not be ensured at the expense of others," the spokeswoman added.
Advice to Russian citizens
In addition, the diplomat recalled the current recommendations to Russian citizens to refrain from traveling to Lebanon. "Those who are currently in the country should be extremely cautious and follow the instructions of local authorities to ensure their safety," she emphasized. "Those wishing to leave Lebanon can use commercial flights via Beirut International Airport, which continues to operate," the spokeswoman added.
The day before, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the country’s air forces had struck 1,300 military facilities of the Hezbollah Shiite movement throughout Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, more than 490 people were killed and more than 1,600 wounded in Israeli raids.