Risk of regional war very high after killing of Hezbollah leader, says Russia

The incident has led to a significant destabilisation of the situation in the region, says Kremlin spokesman

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A billboard bearing a picture of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, is displayed in Tehran on Monday. AFP

By Reuters

Published: Mon 30 Sep 2024, 3:02 PM

Last updated: Mon 30 Sep 2024, 3:13 PM

The Kremlin on Monday condemned the killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli air attack last week and said it assessed the risk of a major Middle East war as "extremely high".

"The Russian side condemns such actions, we believe that they have led to a significant destabilisation of the situation in the region," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

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"The main thing is that such indiscriminate bombing of residential areas in Lebanon leads to a huge number of human casualties, which will inevitably bring on a humanitarian catastrophe like the one we are seeing in Gaza," he added, expressing Moscow's "deepest concern".

Israel's intensifying assault on Hezbollah has deepened international concerns about the risk of a wider Middle East war involving Iran, which backs Hezbollah and Hamas.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the killing of Nasrallah at the weekend as a political assassination and the Russian foreign ministry in a statement called on Israel to immediately stop hostilities in Lebanon.

Reuters

Published: Mon 30 Sep 2024, 3:02 PM

Last updated: Mon 30 Sep 2024, 3:13 PM

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