Netanyahu firm on new phase of Hezbollah war as UN warns of catastrophe

Israel on Friday stood firm on the need for a new and expanded phase of its almost year-long war with Hezbollah as the UN warned of catastrophe and the US called for diplomacy.

“Our goals are clear, our actions speak for themselves,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also underscored that point, explaining, “We will continue pursuing our enemies in order to defend our citizens - even in the Dahieh in Beirut. 

“The series of operations in the new phase of the war will continue until we achieve our goal: ensuring the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” Gallant stated.

They spoke after the IDF claimed it killed ten senior Hezbollah commanders were killed along with Ibrahim Aqil, leader of the movement's Radwan special forces unit, during a targeted airstrike in Beirut. 

"To protect the citizens of Israel"

"This elimination is intended to protect the citizens of Israel," an army spokesperson said in a brief statement to the press, adding that Israel was not seeking regional escalation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Israel’s actions in Lebanon this week could spark a regional war in comments delivered by his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

“We are very concerned at the heightened escalation across the blue line, including the deadly strike we saw in Beirut. Today,” Dujarric told reporters.

“We urge all parties to de-escalate immediately. All must exercise maximum restraint. We also urge the parties to immediately return to the cessation of hostilities and to fully implement [UN] Security Council Resolution 1701 the region is on the brink of a catastrophe. 

“All efforts should be made to spare in urgently pursuing a diplomatic activity. All efforts should focus on urgently finding a diplomatic activity,” Dujarric stated.

UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo warned the Security Council that if violence continues between Israel, Palestinian terror group Hamas and Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, then "we risk seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far."

UN human right chief Volker Turk said it was "difficult to conceive how, in these circumstances, such attacks could possibly conform with the key principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack, under international humanitarian law."

Turk called for an independent, thorough and transparent investigation and for those who ordered and carried out the attacks to be held to account.

Earlier in the day, US National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said that diplomacy was the only way to resolve the constrained year-long cross-border war between the IDF and Hezbollah.

Reuters contributed to this report.