Lebanon crisis: Guterres calls on all sides to ‘step back from the brink’
This followed Israeli airstrikes in the southern suburbs of the city targeting the leader of the armed group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed, according to media reports.
The developments come amid escalating violence between Israeli and Hezbollah forces along the United Nations-patrolled separation line in southern Lebanon known as the Blue Line, amid a war that has lasted nearly a year. year in Gaza.
Prevent total war
Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, issued a statement emphasized that “this cycle of violence must end now and all sides must step back from the brink.”
“The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, and the wider region cannot accept an all-out war,” he said.
Mr. Guterres called on all parties to recommit to fully implementing these measures United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) and immediately returned to a state of cessation of hostilities.
Resolution 1701 was passed in August 2006 and aimed to end the war that broke out in Lebanon that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It called for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the establishment of a demilitarized zone.
The Secretary-General also reiterated his long-standing call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza And Release all hostages held within the enclosure.
Families are on the move
The attacks in Beirut have caused a new wave of mass evacuations.
In response, the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEFhas expanded shelter operations to support families forced to move.
Emergency supplies are being distributed to more than 5,000 people, UNICEF speak in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Meanwhile, the number of people arriving at Lebanon’s border with Syria is “increasing rapidly”, according to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.
The new arrivals, including women, children and the elderly, “were exhausted after many hours of traveling without food and water,” UNHCR said in a report. tweet.
Air strikes displaced thousands of people
Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have forced thousands of people to flee their homes, including Palestinian refugees living in the country.
Transboundary incident relocated 211,319 people as of October 2023, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Teams from the United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWAare responding, Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said Saturday in a tweet.
Trauma, uncertainty and fear
UNRWA has opened seven emergency shelters across the country, currently hosting 1,600 people, including Lebanese citizens and Palestinian and Syrian refugees.
“Many people are traumatized by the ongoing bombardment, insecurity and fear,” Mr. Lazzarini said. “For some, it is a trauma re-enacted by repeated cycles of conflict over decades.”
He warned that further expansion of the war would only bring more suffering to civilians.
Mr. Lazzarini ended the tweet by emphasizing that civilians must be protected, while civilian infrastructure must not be targeted.
