Meeting of the UN Security Council. Photo from the archive The UN Security Council discusses the situation in Lebanon Peace and security
A Security Council meeting opened at UN headquarters on Wednesday morning on the situation in Lebanon, which has worsened since the start of the US and Israeli military campaign against Iran. Hezbollah militants attacked Israel on March 2, dragging Lebanon into a new war. The emergency meeting was requested by France with the support of a number of other countries. Let us remind you that the United States presides over the Council in March. A number of high-ranking UN representatives are making presentations on the situation.
Further escalation of the conflict will not benefit anyone, Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said at a Security Council meeting on Lebanon. To prevent further loss of life and create conditions for constructive political dialogue, it is necessary to end the violence, she stressed.
Because of Hezbollah’s decision to attack Israel on March 2, Lebanon again found itself drawn into a conflict it did not seek, DiCarlo noted. In violation of Security Council Resolution 1701, Hezbollah has since fired hundreds of shells into Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan.
Israel, in turn, launched massive attacks on the southern part of Beirut, southern Lebanon, as well as the Bekaa Valley and the city of Baalbek. According to the Lebanese government, these operations killed more than 570 people and injured more than 1,400.
Israel also issued evacuation notices from these areas, displacing more than half a million people.
“The resumption of violence in the Blue Line area has largely reversed the progress made in recent months,” DiCarlo said.
For Lebanon to fulfill its obligations under resolutions 1559 and 1701, an immediate reduction in tensions and an end to violence is necessary, she stressed.
“Hezbollah must stop attacks on Israel and cooperate with the government in its efforts to assert full state power and establish a monopoly on weapons,” the deputy secretary general emphasized.
“Israel must stop its military campaign in Lebanon and withdraw its troops from Lebanese territory,” she added.
DiCarlo called on the international community to strengthen support for the Lebanese government security services, in particular the Lebanese armed forces, by providing them with the necessary capabilities and resources.
The UN Secretary-General and his Special Coordinator for Lebanon continue to engage with stakeholders to bring an end to this conflict, DiCarlo said.
The escalation of hostilities in southern Lebanon “has reached a new level”
The escalation of hostilities in southern Lebanon has “reached a new level.” UN Deputy Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix stated this at a meeting of the Security Council. According to him, missile and drone strikes are recorded daily on both sides of the Blue Line. Israeli forces have expanded their presence north of the Blue Line, which, like the actions of armed groups, violates Security Council Resolution 1701. Amid intense shelling, the safety of UN peacekeepers, according to Lacroix, was under serious threat. On March 6, a peacekeeper from Ghana was seriously wounded. Several other peacekeepers were injured in the strike on the al-Qawza base. In the following days, incidents were recorded involving Israeli tanks at observation posts, as well as rocket debris falling in the area of the mission headquarters in Naqoura. Lacroix stressed that all parties have a “clear and unequivocal responsibility” for the safety of UN personnel. With movement restrictions, peacekeepers are focusing efforts on protecting personnel and facilitating humanitarian access. Blue Helmets evacuated dozens of villagers in southern Lebanon, including children, the elderly and people with disabilities, and helped the safe exit of more than 80 residents of Alma al-Shab. Lacroix warned that the humanitarian situation was rapidly deteriorating and hundreds of thousands of people were being forced to flee their homes. He called on the parties to de-escalate and fully implement resolution 1701.
Humanitarian aspect
Against the background of the ongoing escalation in Lebanon, the humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating. This was stated at a meeting of the Security Council by UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.
According to him, the country “is in a moment of grave danger”; the consequences of the regional war are falling on the civilian population: since March 2, more than 570 people have been killed, over 1,400 injured, and the number of displaced people has exceeded 750 thousand. Tens of thousands of people are seeking refuge in overcrowded collective centers, where the risks of violence, exploitation and the spread of disease are growing.
Fletcher stressed that Lebanon’s healthcare system is under severe pressure: 49 primary health centers and five hospitals are closed. The World Health Organization has recorded 25 attacks on medical facilities. Against this background, humanitarian organizations are trying to increase assistance: hundreds of thousands of hot meals, water, hygiene items and fuel have already been distributed, mobile clinics and child protection services are operating.
Access to those in need is becoming increasingly difficult: southern Lebanon, the Bekaa and southern suburbs of Beirut remain areas of active fighting, roads are blocked by debris and unexploded ordnance, and population movements are difficult to track.
Fletcher called for the protection of civilians, increased funding for humanitarian aid and the “rebirth of calm, rational diplomacy,” stressing that Lebanon is “exhausted from foreign wars” and can only recover when external actors stop fighting on its territory.