Briefing the Security Council on the heels of the firing of Israeli forces on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon earlier in the day, senior UN officials warned of a dangerous uptick in violence in the Middle East, as delegates echoed their calls for a ceasefire, de-escalation and diplomacy.
“The conflict in Lebanon, coupled with intensified strikes in Syria and the raging violence in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, points to a region dangerously teetering on the brink of an all-out war,” Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, warned the 15-nation organ, observing that the situation in the country had become even more alarming since the Secretary-General’s last address before the Council eight days ago.
Recent developments on the ground, starting with a dramatic intensification of exchanges of fire between Hizbullah and the Israel Defense Forces, followed by the commencement of Israeli ground operations into Lebanon on 1 October, has created a “humanitarian emergency”, she said, pointing to the “spiralling” number of dead and wounded. Over 300 people were killed in Lebanon in the past week alone, placing the death toll since last October at 2,000 people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
“Our collective inability to stop the violence and stem the bloodshed is damning,” she said, outlining alarming developments, including a health sector under immense pressure, due to air strikes hitting facilities and personnel, and a quarter of Lebanese territory now under so-called evacuation orders by the Israel Defense Forces, who often gave inhabitants as little as two hours’ notice to vacate their homes. Over 50 people were killed in Israel and more than 60,000 displaced in Israel and Israel-occupied Golan Height since October 2023, she added, urging support for the $425 million Flash Appeal launched last week to assist 1 million people over the next three months.
Against that backdrop, she called on Hizbullah to stop firing rockets and missiles into Israel and urged Israel to stop its bombardment of Lebanon and to withdraw its ground forces. “The parties must seize the diplomatic options put on the table before them, not the weapons by their side,” she said, adding: “As the Secretary-General has warned, there is still time, but it is quickly running out. We must give diplomacy a chance. NOW.”
“The safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly in jeopardy,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, noting that Israel’s ground operations and intense air bombardment across the country had left much of southern Lebanon — United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon’s (UNIFIL) area of operations — now uninhabited and increasingly uninhabitable. Hizbullah continues to fire across the Blue Line and is now threatening major population centres in Israel with increasingly high-calibre weapons, he said, pointing to the presence of unauthorized armed personnel, assets and weapons south of the Litani River, in grave violation of Council resolution 1701 (2006).
Meanwhile, since the launch of the Israel Defense Forces’ Operation Northern Arrows on 23 September, UNIFIL has, as of 8 October, detected 5,451 trajectories from south to north of the Blue Line and 610 air attacks by the Forces, he went on. Today, two peacekeepers were wounded when a UN observation post in UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters was hit by tank fire, and Force soldiers fired on a UN position (UNP 1-31) nearby. “The actions outlined above show little regard for the protections afforded to UN premises and personnel under international law,” he said.
UNIFIL peacekeepers have remained in position, in line with their Council mandate, despite being urged to vacate within 5 kilometres of the Blue Line by the Israel Defense Forces shortly before starting their ground operations, he said, stressing: “It should be remembered that the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of our peacekeepers lies with the actors on the ground.” He urged the parties to return immediately to a cessation of hostilities and to take real action towards full implementation of Council resolution 1701 (2006).
In the ensuing debate, Middle Eastern States condemned the situation, with Lebanon’s representative pointing out that Israel’s attempt to invade his country violated the UN Charter and Council resolution 1701 (2006). He called on the Council to condemn the invasion and adopt a resolution to end it, imposing Israel’s withdrawal in line with the 1949 Armistice Agreements. Diplomacy has failed to impose a ceasefire, which his country has called for, and so Israel’s “killing, destruction and displacement machine” continues its ground invasion, leading to an “indescribable” humanitarian tragedy.
Pointing to the targeting of a main supply line of the Litani River and Baalbeck, among other sites, he said, “We wonder: what is the military benefit of targeting a vital border crossing, a water station and a historic archaeological site? What is the goal of targeting journalists, relief workers, and medical personnel? Is this the precise surgical military operation they have been talking about?” He urged contributions to the urgent call for relief, which is only 12 per cent funded. Only diplomacy and adhering to international law, including Council resolution 1701 (2006), can end the war. Commending UNIFIL for its courageous decision to not withdraw its forces, he condemned Israel’s attacks on its positions, stressing that Moscow ignores calls of the United Nations and the Secretary-General, and is establishing “a new military reality on the ground to secure unjust outcomes”.
Similarly, Iran’s delegate, voicing solidarity for the Lebanese people, who are enduring “endless acts of aggression of the most notorious terrorist regime in the world”, condemned the continued complicity of the United States, the United Kingdom and other Western States in enabling Israel’s war crimes and genocidal war against the people of Palestine and Lebanon through the provision of advanced weaponry. Israel assassinated Hizbullah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah to sabotage any chance of a ceasefire, he said, adding that the “heinous act” proved that Israel’s “real objective is only to provoke a full-scale war across the region”. Therefore, he called for an immediate ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to flow into Lebanon, and for the Council to hold Israel accountable for its atrocities against the people of Lebanon and Palestine.
Countering those statements, Israel’s delegate said, “This conflict began with the decision made by Hassan Nasrallah to tie his fate, and Hizbullah’s, with Hamas, knowing it would bring suffering on Lebanon and Israel.” Recalling that he had, on 20 September, urged the Council to act before it was too late, said, “Your silence has forced our hand.” Underscoring the need for a Gaza without Hamas, and for a Lebanon free from Hizbullah’s grip, he called on the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to “step up”, adding that Israeli forces are in close contact with the latter to ensure their safety. The Council must reform the obligations contained in Council resolution 1701 (2006) and enhance the mechanism.
Asserting that Hizbullah had “established a terrorist state in a failed State”, he told the Lebanese representative that he should sit next to him, and not the Iranian delegate, adding: “Israel, Lebanon and the free world are on the same side, against the Islamic regime of Iran.” Lebanon must banish Hizbullah’s destructive influence from its borders, he said, noting the Israeli forces discovery of a Hizbullah tunnel intruding into Israeli territory, containing maps of kibbutzim and terror devices. Israel will continue its operation to degrade Hizbullah’s capabilities and diminish its terror network in southern Lebanon, he said, calling on the Council to support his country. “Let this be the day when you stand with Israel and the Lebanese people against the forces of terror; the day when you choose action over silence.”
In further exchanges, Member States underscored that diplomacy is the only way forward, with the representative of France, whose delegation requested the meeting, stating that his country will convene a ministerial conference on 24 October in Paris. It will bring together Lebanon's partner States, the United Nations, the European Union and international, regional and civil society organizations to restart efforts towards a diplomatic solution based on resolution 1701 (2006), mobilize the international community to meet the protection and emergency needs of the Lebanese population, and heighten support for Lebanon's institutions, in particular the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The representative of Switzerland, Council President for October, who spoke in her national capacity, was among several speakers, including Mozambique and Sierra Leone, calling for an immediate ceasefire and for adherence to Council resolution 1701 (2006), adding: “There is no military solution to this conflict.”
“Israeli aggression will not stop at Lebanon,” warned Algeria’s representative, reiterating his country’s solidarity with and support of Lebanon. The only path to ensuring stability in Lebanon and peace in the broader region is the full, immediate implementation of the 2006 text, including deployment of the Lebanese army over all of Lebanese territory, within internationally recognized borders, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese lands.
In the same vein, Ecuador’s representative stressed that “today, more than ever, the Lebanese Government must regain effective control over the flow and distribution of weapons” in line with Council resolution 1559 (2004) — a point echoed by Malta’s delegate.
The Republic of Korea’s representative, stressing that “adherence to obligations under international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians are not negotiable”, voiced alarm about the deadly attacks on medical personnel and units by Israel in Lebanon and recent cross-border strikes by Hizbullah appearing to target civilian areas in northern Israel.
For his part, China’s representative called on Israel “to set aside the obsession with the use of force, make the right political decision, stop violating Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and end its adventurous behaviour that could drag the region into a new catastrophe”. Addressing the Council, he urged “a certain country to stop its passive procrastination, protection and connivance”, and to act responsibly to prevent further destabilization of the situation.
“Israel is choosing escalation over diplomacy,” underscored the Russian Federation’s representative, detailing Israeli Defence Forces’ attacks despite calls for a ceasefire. “The Security Council is paralyzed, and this is the U.S.’ fault,” he stressed. Washington, D.C., is still blocking any attempts by Council members to adopt a decision that could help achieve a ceasefire in the region, he added, stressing that “an urgent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is the main thing that the Security Council should be pursuing”.
Rebutting that, the United States’ speaker said Iran must be condemned for undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty, and Hizbullah for attacking Israel and for putting its narrow interests ahead of the interests of Lebanon’s people. All parties, including Israel, must respect the safety and security of UN personnel and premises, and avoid incidents that expose them to risk or harm. He highlighted his country’s announcement last week of $157 million in humanitarian aid for internally displaced persons in Lebanon, calling on others to support the UN Flash Appeal.
Other Council Members highlighted their respective countries’ contributions to Lebanon’s humanitarian needs, with the representative of the United Kingdom announcing an additional $19.5 million aid package, while Japan’s representative recalled his country’s contribution of over $290 million to Lebanon since 2012, adding that it is considering providing additional assistance.
“This Council must spare no effort to avert a repeat of a Gaza-like scenario in Lebanon,” stressed Guyana’s representative, who voiced concern about the Prime Minister of Israel’s warning to the Lebanese people that their country could become the next Gaza. Citing a plan by the Israel Land Authority to seize the land of the headquarters of the United Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Jerusalem, she appealed to the UN and all peace-loving countries to not allow Israel to shutter UNRWA, which provides life-saving support to millions of Palestinians.
Echoing such concerns, Slovenia’s representative warned that “Lebanon is becoming the next Gaza”, expressing alarm by the parallels seen on the ground. “We have to act, now. Political, not military, solutions are required,” he said.
https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15850.doc.htm
