Pakistan condemns Israeli strikes on Lebanon, warns of deepening regional crisis

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan) on Tuesday strongly condemned Israel’s continued military aggression against Lebanon, warning that the escalating attacks could further aggravate the already fragile security and humanitarian situation in the region amid intensifying tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

In an official statement, the Foreign Office said the Israeli actions violated international law and undermined efforts by the Lebanese government to maintain peace and stability in the country.

“The Israeli actions, which are in contravention of international law, are undermining the efforts of the Government of Lebanon to ensure peace and stability and have the potential to further exacerbate the ongoing security and humanitarian crises in the region,” the statement said.

The remarks came as tensions across the Middle East surged following joint US-Israeli strikes inside Iran that assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader. The attacks have triggered a wider regional crisis, with Iran launching retaliatory strikes against US military bases in Gulf states, raising fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East.

The Foreign Office urged the international community to take immediate and effective steps to halt Israeli military operations, which it said involved indiscriminate targeting of civilians and repeated violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Pakistan also expressed complete solidarity with the Lebanese people amid the ongoing violence, which has caused widespread destruction, civilian casualties and mass displacement.

“Pakistan expresses its complete solidarity with the brotherly people of Lebanon in the face of this aggression and will continue to support all efforts aimed at ensuring lasting peace in Lebanon as well as the wider region,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the United Nations warned that the humanitarian situation in Lebanon was rapidly deteriorating as Israeli air strikes and evacuation orders forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly 700,000 people have been displaced within just over a week due to the escalating violence.

UNHCR’s representative in Lebanon, Karolina Lindholm Billing, said the latest escalation had forced families to flee their homes within minutes after Israeli air strikes and evacuation warnings were issued in dozens of villages.

“More than 667,000 people in Lebanon have now registered on the government’s online platform as displaced,” she said, noting that the figure had surged by more than 100,000 in a single day.

Lebanese authorities said Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 486 people and injured more than 1,313 others.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that at least 84 of those killed were children, highlighting the devastating human cost of the escalating conflict.

The continued violence has intensified international concern over the growing humanitarian catastrophe in Lebanon and the risk of a wider regional war.