At the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden urged Israel and Hamas to finalize a Gaza ceasefire proposal that has been ongoing for several months. Meanwhile, Iranian President threatened “a larger scale war in the Middle East.”
“Now is the time for all parties to finalize the terms,” Biden said regarding the ceasefire agreement mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, which aims to “bring hostages home, ensure the safety of Israel and Gaza, break free from Hamas control, alleviate Gaza’s suffering, and end this war.”
As the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine persist, and the Middle East faces the threat of even greater conflicts, world leaders gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. For President Biden, this may be his last address at the United Nations before leaving office.
“After almost a year, there are still too many displaced people on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border,” he said. “There is no benefit to anyone from total war. Despite the escalation, it is still possible to resolve the situation through diplomatic means.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also attended the UN annual conference, condemning the UN’s inaction towards Israel and stating that ally Hezbollah “cannot confront Israel alone.”
Israel destroyed most of the Hezbollah leadership in two days of intense airstrikes. According to Reuters, on Tuesday, the terror organization’s chief missile and rocket commander, Ibrahim Qubaisi, was killed in the outskirts of Beirut.
When asked if Iran would use its influence over Hezbollah to urge restraint, Pezeshkian called on the international community not to let Lebanon become another Gaza.
“It is Israel trying to create this larger conflict,” he posted on the X social media platform.
On October 7 last year, armed Hamas militants attacked Israel, leading to the Israeli-Hamas conflict in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza controlled by Hamas. The following day, Hezbollah opened a second front on the Israel-Lebanon border to support Hamas and combat Israel. The conflict has escalated sharply over the past week. Currently, Israel has shifted its focus to the northern border with Lebanon.
Pezeshkian told reporters at a roundtable meeting, “We are more aware than anyone else that a larger scale war breaking out in the Middle East would not benefit anyone globally.”
Hezbollah and Hamas are both supported by Iran. Since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, have also received support from Iran. These three armed groups are all designated as “global terrorist organizations” by the US and the West.