China pushes back against ‘condoning of military adventurism’ in Lebanon

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China has pushed back against “condoning” any “military adventurism” in Lebanon and Gaza, warning it could cause “serious consequences.”

“With the current situation hanging by a thread, any passive procrastination would be irresponsible, and any rhetoric of condoning further military adventurism would send a wrong message and could cause serious consequences,” Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong said on Wednesday.

Fu was addressing a UN Security Council briefing on the Lebanese-Israeli situation, according to a statement.

The Chinese envoy, without naming the US or its allies, called on “major countries with influence” to “adopt a sincere and responsible attitude and earnestly play a constructive role to avoid further escalation of the situation.”

Over the past two weeks, Fu told the Security Council that “the situation in the Middle East, Lebanon in particular, has taken a sharp turn for the worse.”

Expressing “deep concern and extreme worry” about the current situation, Fu said China calls for “earnest respect for the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of all states, reiterate our opposition to all acts that violate the basic norms governing international relations.”

China shares the position of the UN that Israeli crossing into Lebanon “violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and contravenes the provisions of Security Council Resolution 1701,” said Fu, condemning all violence and attacks against civilians.

Urging the Council to take the lead in fulfilling its responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, the diplomat said: “At present, an all-out war is on the brim of breaking out.”

“At this critical juncture, any inflammatory statements and provocative actions are extremely dangerous. They could easily lead to miscalculations and chain reactions, escalate the situation, and even make it completely out of control,” said Fu, urging all parties, particularly Israel, to "exercise restraint."

Israel has launched massive airstrikes since Sept. 23 against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon that have killed more than 1,000 people and injured over 2,950, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated last week on Friday in an Israeli strike.

The Lebanese resistance group and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,700 victims, most of them women and children, following an attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, last October.​​​​​​​

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.