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[global network report] against the backdrop of a new round of israeli-palestinian conflict, the conflict between israel and hezbollah in lebanon continues to escalate, and the situation in the middle east has caused widespread concern. according to cnn and afp, israeli defense forces spokesman hagari said on monday (23rd) that the possibility of israeli troops conducting ground operations in lebanon is not ruled out. a senior us official expressed opposition to the possibility of israel's "ground invasion" of lebanon. in addition, the european union and france both expressed their views on the situation in lebanon during the general debate of the united nations general assembly on the 23rd, urging the situation to be de-escalated.

cnn stated that at a press conference on the 23rd local time, when asked whether the israeli army was ready for a 'ground invasion' and how quickly it could enter if the order was given,israel"is the army ready? yes, the army is fully prepared and we will take all necessary measures to bring all our citizens back to the northern border safely," said defense forces spokesman hagari.

on september 23rd local time, the israeli army launched an airstrike on marjayoun in southern lebanon, with thick smoke billowing from the scene. source: us media

on the other hand, the 79th un general assembly held a general debate at the un headquarters in new york from 24 to 30. according to afp, a senior us official said during the meeting on 23rd that the us is proposing "concrete ideas" on easing the situation in lebanon, while expressing opposition to any "ground invasion" by israel against hezbollah in lebanon.

according to afp, the anonymous us official said he hoped the us proposal could ease tensions and allow the parties concerned to enter a "diplomatic process" to allow people on both sides of the "blue line" to return home safely in the near future. however, the us official refused to describe specific ideas, but said that us secretary of state blinken and other senior us officials would discuss these proposals during the un general assembly debate.

in addition, afp stated that the us official reiterated the us position against israel's "ground invasion" of lebanon. "i think it is important that everyone takes israel's preparations seriously." he said, "we obviously do not think that a 'ground invasion' of lebanon will help ease tensions in the region and prevent the escalation of violence. this is partly why we are so focused on using this week to explore these ideas and see if we can find a way out (to solve the problem)."

afp also mentioned that eu high representative for foreign affairs and security policy borrell expressed concern during the un general assembly debate on the 23rd, saying that the escalating conflict between israel and hezbollah in lebanon could plunge the middle east into a full-scale war. "i can say that we are almost in a full-scale war," borrell said. "we see more military strikes, more destruction, more collateral damage, and more victims." he urged all parties to come up with a solution in new york, "everyone must do everything they can to prevent this from happening."

in addition, according to afp, france requested the un security council to hold an emergency meeting on the 23rd to discuss the situation in lebanon. according to the report, french foreign minister jean-noel barrot said during the debate of the general assembly that day, "i have asked the security council to hold an emergency meeting on the situation in lebanon this week." in addition, he called for avoiding a "regional conflict that would be devastating to everyone, especially civilians."

according to earlier lebanese media reports on the 23rd, the southern suburbs of beirut, the capital of lebanon, were attacked by israel that night, targeting a senior commander of hezbollah in lebanon. hezbollah issued a statement on the same day saying that the target of the israeli attack was ali karaki, who is currently safe and has been moved to a safe place. idf spokesman hagari said on the evening of the 23rd that the israeli army launched a large-scale air strike on "lebanese hezbollah targets" in the past 24 hours, hitting more than 1,300 "hezbollah targets." the lebanese ministry of public health issued a statement on the evening of the 23rd saying that israel's continued air strikes on many parts of lebanon that day had caused 492 deaths and 1,645 injuries. the statement said that the air strikes were concentrated in towns and villages in southern lebanon, the bekaa in eastern lebanon and baalbek, and the victims included 35 children and 58 women.