UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed on Thursday deep concern that the Syrian crisis could spill over into Lebanon and also warned from turning Lebanon into a battleground by players seeking to “advance” their capabilities

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed on Thursday deep concern that the Syrian crisis could spill over into Lebanon and also warned from turning Lebanon into a battleground by players seeking to “advance” their capabilities.

In a report which will be submitted to the UN Security Council on October 31, Ban said: “I am deeply concerned by the impact of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon. Largely as a result of the deteriorating situation in Syria, Lebanon has witnessed cross-border clashes and shelling.”

Ban also highlighted arms trafficking across the Syrian-Lebanese border and stressed that Lebanon must not be “drawn into regional turmoil.”

The report allegedly notes a significant increase of shelling incidents and incursions by Syrian government forces, some of which targeted Lebanese border villages.

There were 31 incidents in July alone, according to the document, compared to 7 in the first half of the year.

Ban referenced continued reports of arms trafficking in both directions along the common border, saying he viewed these "with the utmost seriousness" but noted the United Nations did not have the means to independently verify them.

"The allegations of arms trafficking across the Syrian-Lebanese border and the repeated incidents along the border that caused death and injury to civilians emphasize the urgent need to improve the management and control of Lebanon's land borders," Ban said.

Such action was necessary in order to keep armed groups and militias in Lebanon from widening their arsenal of weapons, which constitutes a threat to both domestic and regional peace, Ban added.

A Reckless Provocation

Concerning Hezbollah’s military resistance power, Ban called its "sizeable sophisticated military capabilities" that are outside the control of the Lebanese government a matter of grave concern.

Ban said that a drone launched by Hezbollah and shot down by the Zionist entity on October 6 was "a reckless provocation that could lead to a dangerous escalation threatening Lebanon's stability."

"It is imperative not to let Lebanon be drawn into regional turmoil," Ban said. "Lebanon must not be used anymore as a battleground for actors seeking to advance their own interests at the country's expense or to destabilize the region."