ISTANBUL

Russia on Tuesday said that it “strongly condemned” Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon, calling on Tel Aviv to immediately cease hostilities and withdraw its troops from the country.

“Russia strongly condemns the attack on Lebanon and calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately cease hostilities, withdraw troops from Lebanese territory and engage in a genuine search for peaceful ways to resolve the Middle East conflict,” said a Foreign Ministry statement.

The statement said the “combined nature” of the offensive, which it said was an invasion involving all branches of Israel’s armed forces, suggests that the number of casualties will steadily rise.

It further said that the offensive will lead to an ever greater escalation of violence in the Middle East.

“We express solidarity with the leadership and people of friendly Lebanon, which has been subjected to armed aggression. We sincerely send our condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” the statement added.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 1,000 people and injuring over 2,900 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.


Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.