UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he is “deeply saddened” at the situation in Lebanon after visiting some of the hundreds of thousands of displaced and hospitals where wounded civilians are being treated after Israeli attacks, Al Jazeera reports.

“The south [of the country] risks becoming a wasteland. Southern Beirut, which is under sweeping evacuation orders by Israel, risks being bombed to oblivion,” Guterres has told a news conference in Lebanon’s capital.

The Lebanese people did not choose this war, “they were dragged into it,” he added.

“My message to the warring parties is clear: stop the fighting, stop the bombing. There is no military solution, only diplomacy, dialogue, and the implementation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions,” Guterres has said.

“Civilians must be respected and protected at all times. Lebanon’s sovereignty and territory must be respected,” he states. “The war must stop.”