China has urged Israel to withdraw its troops from Lebanon immediately, warning that escalating violence risks triggering a wider regional crisis.
At an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on March 31, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Sun Lei, called for urgent global action to halt the fighting and restore stability in the Middle East.
“Lebanon must not become another Gaza,” Sun said. “The international community must not allow the tragedy of Gaza to repeat itself.”
The council convened amid intensifying clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, alongside reported attacks on United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
Briefing the council, UN officials, including Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, outlined worsening security and humanitarian conditions, as well as a deadly incident involving the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
UNIFIL said a peacekeeper was killed and another injured after a projectile struck a UN position near a southern Lebanese village on Monday.
China condemned the attack and called for accountability.
“Any deliberate attack against UN peacekeeping personnel is a serious violation of international humanitarian law … and is absolutely unacceptable and must stop immediately,” Sun said, offering condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper.
He urged all parties to cease hostilities, ensure the safety of UN personnel and pursue peace talks.
Sun also stressed the need to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty, saying Israel “should immediately withdraw all its troops from Lebanon” to help prevent further escalation.
