Qatar, Saudi Arabia say Israel poses threat to regional security, asks global community to act swiftly

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Monday expressed deep concern over Israel's ongoing escalation of attacks on Lebanon, warning that Tel Aviv's "impunity" is driving it to escalate the situation, endangering regional security.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it "strongly condemns the Israeli aggression on Lebanon," stressing that the continued escalation is mainly due to "the absence of any deterrence to Israel's behaviors, its repeated violation of international law, and its ongoing impunity."

The ministry urged the international community to take "urgent action" to compel Israel to stop its "brutal aggression on Lebanon and Gaza."

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the escalation in Lebanon and urged the international community to fulfill its obligations to halt conflicts in the region.

The ministry said the Kingdom "is following the developments of the security-related events taking place in Lebanese territory with great concern, and renews its warning of the danger of the violence spreading in the region, and the serious repercussions of the escalation on the security and stability of the region."

Israel has launched a barrage of airstrikes into southern and eastern Lebanon, with the nation's health authorities saying at least 492 people, including 35 children, were killed and 1,645 more injured in the attacks since Monday morning that also forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, the majority of whom are women and children, following a Hamas cross-border attack on Oct. 7 of last year.

Israeli forces intensified their attacks on Lebanon, ignoring the international community's warnings that they would risk spreading the Gaza conflict to other regions.