Gaza war has 'spilled over to Lebanon' — PM Mikati tells TRT World

United Nations, New York — Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati has told TRT World on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Israel's war on besieged Gaza has entered his country.

"It has already spilled over to Lebanon," Mikati said on Wednesday as he exited the UN headquarters in New York.

He said that efforts to negotiate a ceasefire are under way, stating, "We would like to have a ceasefire."

His remarks came as world leaders and top diplomats at the UNGA expressed concerns over rising tensions between Israel and Lebanon that many diplomats say could end up in a large-scale war between the Middle East countries.

Fears of an imminent war mounted further after Israel's top military commander told soldiers along the border with Lebanon to prepare for a "possible" ground invasion against Hezbollah.

On Wednesday evening, speaking at the UN Security Council, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that "hell is breaking out in Lebanon" and it is "on the brink."

French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke at the UNGA, warned that Israel cannot expand its war on Gaza to Lebanon "without consequences," urging all parties to de-escalate.

"Israel cannot, without consequence, just expand its operations to Lebanon. France demands that everyone respect their obligations along the Blue Line," he said in his UNGA address.

Deadly Israeli strikes

In its recent strikes on Lebanon, Israel killed nearly 550 Lebanese individuals and displaced tens of thousands more. On September 17 and 18, thousands of handheld pagers and hundreds of walkie-talkies exploded simultaneously across Lebanon in an attack attributed to Israel, killing 42 people and wounding 2750 others.

Israeli officials state that they will continue their strikes on Lebanon until all residents and settlers return to northern Israel that they had evacuated from during the clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli military.

21-day ceasefire

Meanwhile, France's top diplomat revealed that his country and the US are crafting a proposal for a 21-day ceasefire "to allow for negotiations" in the escalating Israel-Hezbollah fighting.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the UN Security Council late on Wednesday that the proposal will be unveiled soon.

"We are counting on both parties to accept it without delay," he said.

Hezbollah and Israel have been locked in cross-border conflict since the onset of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed more than 41,400 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, following Hamas' cross-border raid on October 7.