President,

I congratulate Switzerland on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council for this month and thank Slovenia for its work as the President last month. I thank France for requesting this emergency meeting. I also thank Secretary-General Guterres for his briefing. I would like to reiterate China’s resolute support for the Secretary-General’s work, and we oppose Israel’s groundless accusations against him.

President,

Over the past two weeks, the situation in the Middle East, Lebanon in particular, has taken a sharp turn for the worse. Following the remotely operated and simultaneous detonation of thousands of communications devices in Lebanon, Israel carried out several rounds of large-scale airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, and launched ground offensive and military incursion into Lebanon yesterday. Israel also intensified airstrikes against Syria. Iran has concluded a series of military attacks on the military and security targets of Israel, and sent correspondence to the Security Council explaining its position. China is deeply concerned and extremely worried about the current grave situation and the possibility of further developments. We call for earnest respect for the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of all states, reiterate our opposition to all acts that violate the basic norms governing international relations, and condemn all violence and attacks against civilians. We share the position of the United Nations that any Israeli crossing into Lebanon violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and contravenes the provisions of Security Council Resolution 1701.

Since last October, the cycle of violent conflicts has been repeating itself in the Middle East. Israel, in total disregard of the call of the international community for an immediate ceasefire, has been stubbornly advancing its military operations, resulting in the protraction and expansion of the conflict. At present, an all-out war is on the brim of breaking out. At this critical juncture, any inflammatory statements and provocative actions are extremely dangerous. They could easily lead to miscalculations and chain reactions, escalate the situation, and even make it completely out of control. We urge all parties, in particular Israel, to exercise restraint and refrain from any action that could lead to further escalation of the situation.

President,

The conflict has caused an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. As we have seen, Gaza has become a hell on Earth. In the meantime, in Lebanon, there has been massive destruction of civilian facilities, thousands of casualties, and more than one million people displaced from their homes, including a large number of Palestinian refugees. We call on all parties to the conflict to respect the red lines of international humanitarian law and to earnest ensure the protection of civilians. We support the efforts of the UN humanitarian system to take urgent actions to ease the humanitarian situation in Palestine and Lebanon. China reiterates the importance of respecting the neutrality of UNIFIL and the importance of effectively ensuring the safety and security of the UN peacekeepers. UN assets and personnel should not be the target of armed attacks.

President,

The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Under the current circumstances, the Council must take urgent actions and be united in making clear and unequivocal demands: an immediate ceasefire must be established in Gaza; the deescalation of the Lebanese-Israeli situation must be advanced to stop the cycle of violence; every effort must be made to prevent the spread of the fighting; and the parties concerned must return to the track of political and diplomatic solutions. With the current situation hanging by a thread, any passive procrastination would be irresponsible, and any rhetoric of condoning further military adventurism would send a wrong message and could cause serious consequences. We hope major countries with influence will adopt a sincere and responsible attitude and earnestly play a constructive role to avoid further escalation of the situation.

I thank you, President.