Ukraine calls for ‘maximum restraint’ amid Israeli ground operation in Lebanon

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine on Tuesday called for “maximum restraint” as the Israeli army announced that it launched a ground operation in southern Lebanon.

A statement from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that Kyiv is “anxiously” following ongoing developments in Lebanon in the context of Israel’s ground operation in the country, which was announced a day after the Israeli army said it established a closed military zone near the country’s borders with Lebanon.

“Strongly condemning the rocket attacks on the territory of Israel by the Hezbollah group, Ukraine calls on the parties to the conflict to exercise maximum restraint in order to prevent the conflict from developing into a large-scale regional war,” the statement said.

It further said that the growing number of refugees and internally displaced persons in Lebanon in the past few days is of “particular concern.”

The statement said that avoiding civilian casualties and preventing violations of international humanitarian law are “critically important.”

“It is necessary to put an end to the violence in the region as soon as possible. A peaceful and prosperous Lebanon is a guarantee of stability for all the countries of the Middle East,” it added.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 1,057 people and injuring over 2,950 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border 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.