LISBON: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was worried about the possibility of a direct confrontation between Israel and Lebanon鈥檚 Hezbollah movement.
Guterres said the latest signals from Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah showed the will to not let this happen but 鈥渟ometimes a spark is enough to unleash this kind of a conflict.鈥�
Hezbollah said last week it could act against Israeli oil facilities if necessary in an Lebanon-Israel offshore energy dispute. US diplomats have been mediating between the two countries after a rise in tensions also involving a dispute over a border wall and Hezbollah鈥檚 growing arsenal.
鈥淚 am deeply worried about hard-to-foresee escalations in the whole region,鈥� Gutters told reporters in his native Lisbon, also referring to Israel鈥檚 concerns about various militia groups in Syria approaching its borders.
鈥淭he worst nightmare would be if there is a direct confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah...the level of destruction in Lebanon would be absolutely devastating, so there are major points of concern around this situation.鈥�
The powerful Shiite movement is part of Lebanon鈥檚 coalition government. Israel sees Hezbollah as the biggest security threat on its borders.
Hezbollah was formed in the 1980s as a resistance movement against Israel鈥檚 occupation of southern Lebanon. The two remain bitter enemies but there has been no major conflict between them since a month-long war in 2006.