Houses and vehicles are damaged after an Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on September 21, 2024 (Photo: Reuters)

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, US President Joe Biden said a full scale war is not in anyone’s interest and, despite escalating violence, a diplomatic solution is the only path to peace. He said the US and several other intermediaries are making continuous efforts to reach such a solution.

However, many other leaders expressed pessimism about the current situation in Lebanon. According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the international community urgently needs to form an alliance to prevent the escalation of violence between Israel and Hezbollah.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said recent attacks by the Israeli military on Lebanese territory have expanded the conflict in the Middle East and will lead to new disasters.

In his speech before UNGA 79, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the conflict in the Gaza Strip is expanding dangerously to Lebanon and called for a ceasefire. Many other leaders also said that making Lebanon another Gaza must be avoided. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “The situation in Gaza is a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it. Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel and the people of the world cannot afford to let Lebanon become another Gaza.”

Foreign citizens are urged to leave Lebanon as soon as possible as regional tensions spike. The US Embassy in Beirut on Tuesday urged American citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible, but warned that there are very few commercial flights still operating.

On Tuesday, 30 flights to and from Beirut, Lebanon's capital, were canceled. Emirates (UAE), Qatar Airways (Qatar), Air France (France), Lufthansa (Germany), and Egyptair (Egypt) have suspended all flights to and from Lebanon.