The Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned the conflict being witnessed in Lebanon could “become another Gaza” as Israeli jets continue with bombing raids which has killed more than 550 people.
In an interview with CNN the Iranian President warned, “The danger does exist that the fire of events that are taking place (in Lebanon) will expand to the entire region.
“We must not allow for Lebanon to become another Gaza at the hands of Israel.”
Pezeshkian said Israel attacking Lebanon could quickly end up spiralling out of control into a wider regional conflict.
He added this “can be dangerous for the future of the world and planet Earth itself, so we must prevent the ongoing criminal acts being committed by Israel.
“Hezbollah cannot stand alone against a country that is being defended and supported and supplied by Western countries.”
Israel has said that overnight they targeted dozens of Hezbollah sites, and the Israeli air force said “numerous areas” were hit in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Lebanese civilians to listen to Israeli calls to evacuate, he warned, “Take this warning seriously.”
“Please get out of harm’s way now,” Mr Netanyahu said. “Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.”
So far Israel has killed around 50 children, and 94 women are among those who are dead the Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad confirmed.
Abiad said that Monday was the deadliest day since 1990 when the civil war ended, and Hezbollah is firing hundreds of rockets to Israel in response for the Israeli attacks which is killing civilians.
Thousands of Lebanese civilians are fleeing southern Lebanon as a result of the continued Israeli air strikes.
The British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for “an immediate ceasefire on both sides.”
He wrote on Monday, “Deeply alarmed by rockets and air strikes in Lebanon and Israel and resulting civilian casualties. Further escalation risks even more devastating consequences.
“I repeat my call for an immediate ceasefire on both sides, which I will emphasise when I meet G7 ministers tonight.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office issued a warning to all Brits who are in Lebanon to leave and is strongly advising against any travel to the Levant region.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster told LBC: “What needs to happen in the long run is that everybody in this region can live in security.
“We tend to focus on the immediate hostilities, the immediate outbreak, and I understand in a news sense why we do that.
“But if you’re asking me about the longer term, we want everybody in that particular part where all this shelling is going on at the moment to be able to return home in peace.
“There’s 60,000 Israelis who have not been able to live in their homes for the best part of a year now because of this back and forth shelling from Hezbollah and southern Lebanon, but also the people in southern Lebanon to be able to live in peace without this threat of constant war back and forth over the border.”
