Lebanon’s Prime Minister Cancels UN Trip Amid Escalating Conflict with Israel

Najib Mikati has called on the international community to condemn “horrific Israeli massacres”

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has canceled his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week due to a recent surge of deadly explosions, widely attributed to Israel.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, thousands of electronic devices used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of nearly 40 people and injuring approximately 3,000 others, including militants and civilians.

While West Jerusalem has not confirmed or denied involvement, several media outlets reported that Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, was responsible for planting explosives in hand-held pagers and walkie-talkies.

The explosions were followed by cross-border rocket attacks by Hezbollah and Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.

In a statement released on Saturday, Mikati urged the international community to condemn “horrific Israeli massacres.”

“In light of the developments related to the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, I decided to cancel my trip,” he stated. “There is no priority at present that surpasses stopping the massacres committed by the Israeli enemy and the multiple types of wars it is waging.”

Israeli officials have reiterated this week that the Jewish state would take any necessary action to prevent Hezbollah from launching rockets into northern Israel. The IDF and Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border fire since October 2023, when a Hamas-led raid into Israel triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared on Wednesday a “new phase in the war” against Hezbollah, vowing to “continue to act to undermine the capabilities of and damage” the Lebanese-based armed group.

Several countries, including Russia and China, along with the United Nations, have condemned the use of electronic communication devices as booby traps as indiscriminate. Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for an immediate investigation into the matter.