World leaders sound alarm as Israel pummels Hezbollah for second day

World leaders at the United Nation’s General Assembly on Tuesday urged Israel and Hezbollah to step back from the brink of all-out war after the death toll from Israeli airstrikes over two days rose to at least 569 people, including 50 children and 94 women, the deadliest such barrage in Lebanon in nearly two decades.

The airstrikes, which Israel says are targeting Hezbollah militants in eastern and southern Lebanon, on Monday alone also injured 1,835 people, Lebanese health authorities said Tuesday.

Israel’s military does not appear to be letting up in the airstrikes, declaring it will do “whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah away from its border with Lebanon, so that Israelis can return to their homes in the region. Though Israel and Hezbollah have been trading strikes since the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza last year, this week’s barrage threatens to push the region into a larger conflict, with world leaders pleading for a solution.

Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Biden warned against a “full-scale war” in Lebanon, urging a diplomatic solution.

“Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest. Even though the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible,” Biden said in his address to the assembly.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the killing of women and children in Lebanon “extraordinarily concerning.” 

“The violence needs to stop. The women, the children killed in Lebanon is extraordinarily concerning,” Trudeau told reporters in New York during the UNGA. “We need to make sure there is de-escalation, both by Israel and Hezbollah. We need to protect civilian lives. We need to make sure we’re moving towards peace and stability in the entire region.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, meanwhile, pressed “all parties to step back from the brink,” while speaking at the Labour Party’s conference in Liverpool.

And European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called Lebanon’s death toll “alarming,” pressing the UN Security Council to “play its role” and “halt the path to war,” according to a statement on X.

Iran took a more threatening tone, with the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, warning Israel of “dangerous consequences” for its strikes in Lebanon.  

Later on Tuesday, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said his country is open to ideas for de-escalating the situation in Lebanon. 

“As we speak, there are important forces trying to come up with ideas and we are open-minded for that,” Danon told reporters. “We are not eager to start any ground invasion anywhere . . .. We prefer a diplomatic solution.”

But that message seemed to contradict that of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who indicated to troops Tuesday that ground operations into Lebanon may be needed, CNN reported. 

“Hezbollah today is different from the organization we knew a week ago — and we have additional strikes prepared,” Gallant said, adding that a “moment may come when we give an order and the system will have to move forward, so preparations must be made.”

Thousands of people have fled southern Lebanon to escape Israel’s dozens of airstrikes, with Monday’s barrages killing more people in a single day in the country since the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006. 

Among those killed in the Israeli strikes was a Lebanese woman who had been working for the UN refugee agency in the country for 12 years, one of her sons and an employed cleaner, according to the agency.

Israel also has claimed that it killed a top commander with Hezbollah’s missile and rocket unit, Ibrahim Kobeisi, in a Tuesday airstrike on Beirut. The Israelis accuse Kobeisi of being responsible for launches towards their country, The Associated Press reported. 

The Israeli military said “other key commanders” were with Kobeisi when he was killed but did not offer whether any of them had been killed or wounded.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas in Gaza. On Telegram on Tuesday, the group said it fired 50 missiles at the Israeli military’s Dado base.

The situation has become a grueling tit-for-tat, with Israel bent on securing its northern border and Hezbollah vowing to continue attacks until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.

Lebanon also is still recovering from a deadly attack using thousands of pagers and walkie talkies last week, which the country has blamed on Israel. Dozens were killed when the communication devices used by Hezbollah exploded, one of the worst security breaches in the group’s history.