Wed Sep 25 04:15:24 UTC 2024: ## Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Expresses Disappointment with Biden’s UN Speech Amid Escalating Conflict

**BEIRUT, LEBANON** – Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib has expressed disappointment with US President Joe Biden’s brief mention of the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Bou Habib believes the US is the only country capable of effectively influencing the situation in the region.

“It was not strong. It is not promising, and it would not solve this problem,” Bou Habib said of Biden’s speech, criticizing its lack of substantial action plan to address the escalating violence.

Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group, has been trading fire with Israel since Monday, following Israeli strikes across Lebanon that killed over 500 people, including women and children. The Israeli military maintains they are targeting Hezbollah, while Lebanese authorities have denounced the strikes as indiscriminate and barbaric.

Bou Habib further condemned the ongoing violence, claiming that the Israeli government “cannot survive except with wars,” and expressing concern over the mounting civilian casualties in Lebanon. He added that an estimated half a million people have been displaced within Lebanon due to the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, the British government has issued an urgent plea for its citizens to evacuate Lebanon immediately, deploying roughly 700 troops to Cyprus as a precautionary measure to bolster its military presence in the Middle East.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also addressed the UN General Assembly, warning that Israel’s strikes on Lebanon cannot go unanswered and expressing fears of a potential escalation across the region. “It is imperative that the international community should immediately stop the violence and bring about a permanent cease-fire in Gaza,” he stated.

The Israeli military continues to conduct airstrikes on Hezbollah positions across Lebanon, while the militant group responds with rocket attacks targeting Israeli sites. The US is currently working behind the scenes to de-escalate the situation, but fears of a wider regional conflict remain high.

As the conflict continues to intensify, humanitarian organizations like Doctors Without Borders and MedGlobal are working to provide relief and medical assistance to displaced individuals in Lebanon. They are distributing essential supplies, offering mental health support, and providing shelter to those who have been forced to flee their homes.

World leaders are convening this week at the United Nations General Assembly, with the escalating conflict in Lebanon and Gaza expected to dominate the agenda. Calls for a ceasefire and diplomatic solutions are growing, but the situation remains volatile and the immediate future remains uncertain.

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