The United Nations (UN), Monday (30/9), expressed concern over the worsening situation in Lebanon amid increasing Israeli attacks. His party opposes Israel’s reported intention to launch a ground attack on Lebanon.
“UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian consequences of the events taking place in Lebanon,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news conference.
Emphasizing Guterres’ call for all parties to exercise restraint and defuse tensions, Dujarric also stressed the need to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The resolution adopted on 11 August 2006 called for a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line (the border de facto Lebanon-Israel) and the Litani River.
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The resolution also only allows the Lebanese army and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to have weapons and military equipment in the area. Dujarric said Guterres and his team were in constant contact with those on the ground and continuing to seek a diplomatic solution.
He said UN personnel along the Blue Line continued to carry out their duties, but the conflict had limited their operations. Dujarric said that civilians were the most affected by the escalating tensions.
“A new rapid appeal will be launched tomorrow, Tuesday, which will serve to mobilize additional resources for Lebanon to meet the needs of around one million people affected by the escalating crisis,” he said.
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He added that the additional resources would also be used to meet those carrying out a mass exodus from southern Lebanon along the border with Israel.
When asked the UN would ask Israel to refrain from ground attacks, Dujarric said, “The Secretary General has asked for that and will continue to do so. We do not want to see any form of ground invasion.”
Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 900 people and wounding more than 2,700 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Several Hezbollah commanders have died in Israeli attacks, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that Tel Aviv would only accept a ceasefire in Lebanon if Hezbollah was pushed away from the border north of the Litani River and disarmed. Hezbollah and Israel have been involved in a cross-border war since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza, killing nearly 41,600 people, most of whom were women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
The international community has warned that an Israeli attack on Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war. (Ant/Z-2)
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