UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on Israel and Hezbollah to "stop the war" at the start of a visit to Beirut, saying it was "no longer the time of armed groups".
"My strong appeal to those parties, to Hezbollah and to Israel, is for a ceasefire to stop the war and... allow Lebanon to become a country independent... where its authorities have the monopoly on use of force," Guterres said on Friday from the presidential palace, as Lebanon entered its 11th day of war.
"This is no longer the time of armed groups. This is the time of strong states."
The UN will launch an urgent humanitarian fundraiser on Friday to assist the more than 800,000 people registered as displaced in Lebanon.
Guterres arrived in Beirut on Friday as the war in Lebanon claimed more than 687 lives since March 2, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
He noted that the war erupted as Muslims celebrate Ramadan and Christians observe Lent, saying it should have been a time of peace.
‘Lebanese people dragged into a war’
The Lebanese people did not choose a war but "they were dragged into it," Guterres said on X.
"I have just landed in Beirut for a visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon," Guterres said, adding: “They did not choose this war. They were dragged into it.”
He pledged to "spare no effort" in working for the peaceful future that Lebanon and the region "so richly deserve."
His visit comes amid frequent weapons fire exchanges between the Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel as Tel Aviv expanded its offensives in Lebanon since March 2 amid regional hostilities.
Since Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on February 28, so far killing some 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, hostilities have escalated.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.
