China Says Opposes Actions Escalating Regional Tensions, Commenting Nasrallah’s Death
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Beijing stands against actions violating sovereignty and security of Lebanon as well as against those actions leading to escalation of regional tensions, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, commenting on the death of Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah.
On Saturday, Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah confirmed that Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut on Friday.
“China opposes the infringement on Lebanon's sovereignty and security, opposes and condemns any action against innocent civilians, and opposes any move that fuels antagonism and escalates regional tensions,” the ministry said in a statement.
Beijing is deeply concerned by the escalation of the situation in the region, the ministry said, adding it continues to closely monitor the developments.
“China urges parties concerned, especially Israel, to immediately take actions to cool down the situation and prevent the conflict from escalating or even spiraling out of control,” the statement read.
Israel began a massive bombing campaign, codenamed Northern Arrows, in southern and eastern parts of Lebanon on Monday. The Lebanese Health Ministry put the death toll at over 1,500. Hezbollah retaliated by firing dozens of rockets toward northern Israel.
The escalation was preceded by a series of explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies that rocked Lebanon from September 17-18, killing about 40 people and injuring nearly 3,500 others.
