Middle East on brink of worst conflict since 1970s, warns Saudi Ambassador

Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the UK, Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Al-Saud, has issued a stark warning that the Middle East is closer to regional war than it has been in 50 years. Speaking to Sky News, he described the worsening situation in Gaza and called for “renewed efforts” to halt the escalating violence.

“The situation on the ground is getting worse and worse,” he said, adding, “This is the closest we’ve been to a regional war since 1973,” referring to the Arab-Israeli war of that year which led to an oil crisis.

Prince Khalid emphasised the global impact of the current war on Gaza, highlighting how it has sparked worldwide protests. “The Israeli-Palestinian problem affects people all around the world in a way that very few conflicts have. Israelis and Palestinians have a responsibility to the world.”

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His remarks come as Israel’s Defence Minister announced a “new phase” of the war, with ground troops advancing and heightened tensions with Hezbollah on the northern border. Wide scale and simultaneous explosions in the country, linked to pagers, and attributed to the Occupation state have further raised fears of a wider conflict.

Prince Khalid also urged for international intervention: “It is time we put renewed efforts to stop the fighting … we need more of the international community to push harder.”

In a separate interview with CNN yesterday, Lebanese Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, said a response by Hezbollah is “inevitable”. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported that at least 20 people were killed and more than 450 injured in yesterday’s second wave of Israeli electronic attacks.

The top diplomat added that “Hezbollah has been dealt a severe blow, and therefore a response is inevitable”, noting that after the latest Israeli attacks, the government “cannot communicate with Hezbollah now in the same way we did in the past.”

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