UN aid chief Tom Fletcher has expressed concern that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon could be long-lasting, potentially resulting in a “fresh occupation”, AFP reports.

“One depressing impression I had, and I think it’s shared by so many people in Lebanon, there was a sense of despair and despondency and anxiety,” Fletcher has told a press conference via videolink from Syria, after a brief trip to Lebanon.

“There’s a sense that this is likely to be a long-running conflict, and that even if we reach some sort of moment where the actors declare victory on the US-Israel-Iran conflict, that that may not bring to an end to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict anytime soon.”

He has said one of his major worries was “a real danger of a fresh occupation, of a fresh occupied territory in southern Lebanon.”

Fletcher has also expressed fears about the possible fracturing of “national cohesion” in Lebanon, noting “the importance of all Lebanese parties pulling together in this moment of real fragility and concern, as so many people are on the move.”