Beirut - New York: Europe and the Arabs
At the request of Algeria, the only Arab member of the Security Council, the UN Security Council held a session during which it heard two briefings from senior UN officials on the latest developments in Lebanon and the region.
The meeting, which was attended by the Lebanese Foreign Minister, was addressed by Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
DiCarlo said that the threat to security and stability, not only in Lebanon but also in the region, could not be more clear or serious. She added: "As we approach a full year of almost daily exchange of fire across the Blue Line and bloodshed in Gaza, too many lives have been lost, too many people have been displaced, and too many livelihoods have been destroyed."
She pointed to the widening scope and intensity of the strikes and exchange of fire between Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in Lebanon and Israeli forces across the Blue Line, which separates Lebanon and Israel. She spoke about the explosion of several communication devices or “pagers” (pagers) used primarily by members of Hezbollah, simultaneously across Lebanon, and similar explosions in Syria.
The UN official said: “The risk of this cycle of violence expanding is very serious and poses a serious threat to the stability of Lebanon, Israel and the entire region.”
A call for diplomacy
The Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs confirmed that the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Hennis-Plasschaert, is in constant contact with all stakeholders, as she continues to push for a diplomatic solution and warns against further escalation.
DiCarlo also said that “in the midst of a fragile regional context, the devastating war in Gaza continues.” She reiterated the UN Secretary-General’s call for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, and a massive increase in humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
She strongly called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any further escalation. She warned that if things continue like this, "we risk seeing a huge fire that would dwarf the scale of the destruction and suffering we have seen so far." She stressed that it is not too late to avoid such "foolishness," "there is still room for diplomacy, which must be used without delay."