President, 

I thank Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher, and Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari for their briefings, and thank you for convening this emergency meeting at the request of France and Indonesia. I welcome the representative of Lebanon to today’s meeting. 

Tensions in the Middle East are escalating, and the spillover effects continue to spread. The rights and wrongs of the conflict in the Middle East are crystal clear. The pressing priority is to actively promote talks for peace, seize the opportunity for peace, and bring the conflict to an end. Since the situation between Lebanon and Israel escalated, the hostilities have continued to intensify, resulting in severe casualties and destruction of infrastructure. The international community must take urgent actions to put the brakes on the conflict before it spirals further out of control, and to restore peace and stability in the region at an early date. I wish to make three points. 

First, achieving a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is the most pressing task. The ongoing exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah have plunged the people of the region into the suffering of war. Israel’s continuous escalation of military offensives has already killed over 1,200 people. The recent announcement by Israel to expand ground operations in Lebanon and extend the so-called “buffer zone” risks further prolonging and escalating the conflict, which is a cause for concern. Lebanon must not become another Gaza, and the international community must never allow the tragedy of Gaza to be repeated. China calls on the parties concerned to immediately cease hostilities and work to deescalate the situation. Israel should immediately withdraw all its forces from Lebanon and respect Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. 

Second, supporting Lebanon’s domestic stability is of the utmost importance. The current situation has dealt a severe blow to the political, economic, and humanitarian situations in Lebanon. We welcome the efforts of the Lebanese Government to strengthen governance over the country, and support parties in Lebanon in actively engaging in political dialogue to properly resolve differences. Under Israel’s intense bombardment and large-scale forced evacuation orders, the humanitarian situation in Lebanon has rapidly deteriorated, with more than 1.2 million people forced to flee their homes and become displaced. The international community should step up emergency assistance to Lebanon and support the Government in stabilizing the domestic situation, ensuring basic livelihood, and alleviating humanitarian challenges. 

Third, the safety and security of UNIFIL is a bottom line that must not be challenged. Recently, UNIFIL’s safety has been repeatedly affected by hostilities, including two deadly attacks that killed three peacekeepers and injured many others. China strongly condemns the attacks against UNIFIL. We express deep condolences over the deaths of Indonesian peacekeepers who were killed in the attacks, and heartfelt sympathies to the injured. Any deliberate attack on UN peacekeepers is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution 1701. Such attacks are absolutely unacceptable and must stop at once. We highly commend UNIFIL for remaining at their post amid hostilities, and urge the parties concerned to take concrete measures to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of UNIFIL and to conduct a serious investigation into and seek accountability for all attacks on peacekeepers. 

China always respects the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Lebanon, and stands ready to work with the international community to make unremitting efforts to help deescalate tensions between Lebanon and Israel and restore peace and stability in Lebanon and the wider Middle East. 

Thank you, President.