“Lebanon is on the brink of the abyss,” the UN Secretary-General warned today before leaders gathered in New York for the organization’s annual General Assembly, which is overshadowed by fears of an all-out war in the Middle East.

After two days of the “Summit of the Future”, which were dedicated to the great challenges that will face the next generations of humanity, more than 100 heads of state and government will take the floor in the General Assembly, while conflicts rage around the world, especially in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

“Gaza is a permanent nightmare that threatens to plunge the entire region into chaos. “Starting from Lebanon, the Lebanese people, the Israeli people and the peoples of the world cannot allow Lebanon to become a new Gaza,” Antonio Guterres said. “We should all be alarmed by this escalation. Lebanon is on the brink of the abyss,” he stressed.

Guterres also denounced the growing number of governments and other groups that believe they can freely use a “get out of jail free” card, meaning they remain unpunished for their actions, referring to the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan.

“They can trample on international law. They can violate him Map of the United Nations. They can invade another country, devastate entire societies, or blatantly disregard the welfare of their own people. And nothing will happen. The level of impunity in the world is politically unjustifiable and morally unacceptable,” he added.

Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine in February 2022, and the conflict has escalated recently, following Ukraine’s invasion and seizure of Russian territory in Kursk and Moscow’s counter-attack with drone and missile attacks.

“Civilians pay the price,” Guterres said, stressing that it is time for a “just peace” based on the UN Charter, international law and Security Council resolutions to prevail.

On Sudan, Guterres said “a humanitarian disaster is unfolding as famine expands” and denounced the “brutal power struggle” between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force.

In his speech, the secretary-general summed up the state of the world today as “unlivable” but insisted that the problems could be solved.

“The geopolitical divisions are deepening. The planet continues to warm. Wars rage on, with no indication of how they will end. And nuclear doctrines and new weapons cast a heavy shadow. We are heading for the unthinkable – a powder keg that threatens to engulf the world,” he said.