UN official: Fighting puts Mideast on brink of 'catastrophe'

The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon warned Sunday of an "imminent catastrophe" in the Middle East amid rising violence between Israel and Hezbollah, stating that a military solution was not the answer.

"With the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated: there is no military solution that will make either side safer," special coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement on X.

AFP