China says it ‘firmly supports’ Lebanon in face of Israel's ‘indiscriminate attacks’ against civilians

ISTANBUL

China “firmly supports” Lebanon in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and national dignity and opposes Israel’s indiscriminate attacks against civilians, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

“China has been closely following the latest developments in the region, especially the recent explosions of communication devices across Lebanon, and is firmly opposed to indiscriminate attacks against civilians,” Wang Yi said in a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in New York, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry handout.

The two foreign ministers exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, with Wang saying: “Violence against violence will not solve the problems in the Middle East.”

“China strongly condemns any action that violates the basic norms governing international relations,” he said, adding that the current situation “is a manifestation of the spillover effect of the conflicts in Gaza.”

China, he said, calls for realizing a permanent cease-fire and comprehensive withdrawal of troops and ensuring an effective implementation of the two-state solution.

Israel has launched a barrage of airstrikes into southern and eastern Lebanon, with Lebanese health authorities saying that at least 492 people have been killed, including 35 children, and 1,645 injured in the attacks since Monday morning, which have also forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, the majority of whom are women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

Israeli forces intensified their attacks on Lebanon, ignoring the international community's warnings that they would risk spreading the Gaza conflict to other regions.