UPDATE - Russia condemns Israeli attacks on Lebanon

ADDS KREMLIN’S COMMENTS IN GRAFS 11- 13

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia on Tuesday condemned Israel’s continuing attacks on Lebanon, stressing that indiscriminate attacks on civilians are unacceptable.

"Indiscriminate Israeli strikes on residential areas under the pretext that Hezbollah weapons are being stored there led to massive civilian casualties and significant destruction of civilian infrastructure," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

Citing the Lebanese Health Ministry, Zakharova said that at least 492 people, including around 150 women and children, were killed by Israel’s "armed aggression" on Monday.

"The number of wounded exceeded 1,600 people. On the morning of Sept. 24, after another attack by Israeli military aircraft in the Bekaa Valley, an entire family of 10 people died. Earlier, on Sept. 20, the death of more than 50 people was the result of an Israeli 'targeted military operation' – an air raid on a densely populated quarter of Beirut," she said.

The official urged "unwinding the spiral of violence," while it is still possible to control the situation, to declare a cease-fire, and create conditions for bringing the situation into line with a political and diplomatic settlement.

"Everything possible must be done to prevent the Middle East from plunging into a full-scale armed conflict, the devastating consequences of which will inevitably affect everyone – both in the region and beyond," she stressed.

For its part, Russia is ready for coordination with regional and global partners to avoid "such a catastrophic scenario," she noted.

"The security of any state in the region should not be ensured at the expense of others," she stressed.

Zakharova also reiterated that Russian citizens should not travel to Lebanon, and for those who are staying there right now "to exercise extreme caution and follow the instructions of the local authorities to ensure safety measures."

Those wishing to leave Lebanon can take advantage of commercial flights through Beirut International Airport, which continues to operate, she said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov voiced concern about the escalation that is a "complete destabilization" of the entire Middle East.

"This is an event that is potentially extremely dangerous and may lead to the expansion of the conflict, the complete destabilization of the region. Of course, this causes our extreme worry and concern," Peskov said at a news conference in Moscow. "It is difficult to talk about any prospects for a settlement," because "the peace track was essentially monopolized" by the US "without much success."

"We cannot identify any prospects at the moment, which probably makes the situation even more potentially dangerous," he said.

On Monday, the Israeli Air Force carried out massive airstrikes on Lebanese territory, targeting dozens of settlements in the southern and eastern regions. Lebanese group Hezbollah, in turn, intensified rocket attacks on military infrastructure in Israel.

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, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

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