New Warning of Potential Expansion of Conflict in the Region

Two officials from the United Nations in Lebanon warned on Saturday that there is a "very real" danger that any miscalculation on Lebanon's southern border could lead to a broader conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon Janine Hennis-Plasschaert and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon Arnaldo Lazaro expressed their "deep concern" regarding recent developments on Lebanon's borders. In a written statement on Saturday, the officials said: "The risk of miscalculation leading to an unexpected and wider conflict is very real." The United States and France are working towards a negotiated settlement to end the fighting on Lebanon's southern border. Hezbollah states that it will not cease fire unless the Israeli military attacks on Gaza stop. This comes as Hezbollah continued its attacks on military positions in northern Israel on Saturday, following days of an airstrike that killed a prominent leader among those who had died from Israeli fire since the start of the cross-border shelling. Hezbollah stated on Saturday that it targeted "the Miron base with guided missiles" and executed "an attack with swarms of kamikaze drones" on another Israeli base in response to the killing of senior party leader Talib Abdullah. The Israeli army confirmed that it carried out the strike on the town of Jayyia, which resulted in the death of Talib Sami Abdullah along with three others on Tuesday, describing him as "one of the senior Hezbollah leaders in southern Lebanon."