China said on Sunday it was “deeply concerned” about the situation in the Middle East, following the death in Lebanon of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, in Israeli bombardments.
Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite group allied with Palestinian Hamas at war with Israel in the Gaza Strip, confirmed on Saturday the death of its charismatic leader in an Israeli bombardment of unprecedented force on Friday in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the movement’s stronghold.
“China is following this case with great attention and is deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions in the region,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement.
“China urges the parties involved, especially Israel, to take immediate steps to calm the situation and prevent the conflict from spreading further, or even spiraling out of control,” he stressed.
The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it was carrying out “dozens” of new raids against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A total of 33 people were killed and 195 wounded by Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Saturday, the Ministry of Health announced in the evening.
With AFP
