GENEVA: The UN humanitarian chief voiced alarm Wednesday 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 militant 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.
“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.
The bloodiest-ever Gaza war started with Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The militants also seized about 250 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza although the army says 42 are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,718 people, also mostly civilians, Gaza’s health ministry has said.
Since the war began, “Gaza has taught us a new level of tragedy and cruelty,” Griffiths said.
“But we are all worried that it may only be the beginning.”
He said the UN humanitarian agency OCHA and other aid agencies were preparing for a broader crisis.
“There is a lot of preparedness on the aid side,” he said. But the kind of preparedness needed was “political,” he stressed.
“The problem is stopping this war from getting worse.”
Spread of Mideast war to Lebanon ‘potentially apocalyptic’: UN aid chief
https://arab.news/zw4af
Spread of Mideast war to Lebanon ‘potentially apocalyptic’: UN aid chief
- Martin Griffiths, the UN humanitarian coordinator, told reporters in Geneva that he saw Lebanon as “the flashpoint beyond all flashpoints“
- “We are worried about the potential for further tragedy and deaths“
Trump claims Iran working on missiles that could hit US
- Trump says his preference is diplomacy, but would never allow Tehran to have a nuclear weapon
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed Iran is seeking to develop missiles that can strike the United States and accused Tehran of working to rebuild a nuclear program that was targeted by American strikes last year.
The United States and Iran are engaged in high-stakes negotiations over Iran’s atomic program and other issues including missiles, with Trump saying he prefers diplomacy but is willing to use force if talks fail.
“They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America,” Trump said during his State of the Union address.
In 2025, the US Defense Intelligence Agency said Iran could potentially develop a militarily viable intercontinental ballistic missile by 2035 “should Tehran decide to pursue the capability,” but did not say if it had made such a decision.
Tehran currently possesses short- and medium-range ballistic missiles with ranges that top out at about 1,850 miles (3,000 kilometers), according to the US Congressional Research Service.
The continental United States is more than 6,000 miles from Iran’s western tip.
Washington and Tehran have concluded two rounds of talks aimed at reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear program to replace the agreement that Trump tore up during his first term in office.
‘Preference’ is diplomacy
The United States has repeatedly called for zero uranium enrichment by Iran but has also sought to address its ballistic missile program and support for armed groups in the region — demands Iran has rejected.
Iran has also repeatedly rejected that it is pursuing nuclear weapons.
Trump ordered strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last year, claiming afterward that Tehran’s atomic program was obliterated.
On Tuesday, he said Iran wants “to start all over again,” and that it is “at this moment again pursuing their sinister nuclear ambitions.”
Trump has sent a massive US military force to the Middle East, deploying two aircraft carriers as well as more than a dozen other ships, a large number of warplanes and other assets to the region.
He has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if negotiations fail to reach a new agreement. Talks with Tehran are currently set to continue on Thursday.
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy but one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
The US president’s speech primarily focused on domestic issues, making no mention at all of China — Washington’s primary military and economic rival — and only briefly referring to Russia.
Trump said he was working to end the bloody conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and repeated his inaccurate claim that he had brought eight other wars to an end since returning to office in January 2025.
He also hailed NATO’s decision to spend five percent of gross domestic product on defense — a move made under heavy pressure from Trump and his administration.
