Tensions continued to ratchet up in the Middle East on Monday with reports of scores of retaliatory Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon which have reportedly left nearly 500 dead, and strikes in Gaza including on a refugee camp, UN humanitarians said.
The development comes as the UN's top official in Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert began an official visit to Israel to meet senior government officials, after insisting that “there is no military solution that will make either side safer”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement on Monday he was "gravely alarmed by the escalating situation along the Blue Line and the large number of civilian casualties, including children and women, being reported by the Lebanese authorities".
Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric cited thousands more displaced amid the most intense Israeli bombing campaign since October.
"The Secretary-General is also gravely alarmed by the continued strikes by Hezbullah into Israel. He expresses grave concern for the safety of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line, including UN personnel, and strongly condemns the loss of lives."
In Lebanon, it has been reported that people in the south received phone and social media messages on Monday from the Israeli military telling them to keep away from any building or village linked to the militant group Hezbollah.
The armed group reportedly launched some 150 projectiles into northern Israel over the weekend, the latest in a series of Hezbollah attacks that began shortly after war erupted in Gaza, and which have uprooted around 60,000 Israelis to date. In southern Lebanon, some 30,000 people have been displaced from their homes.
UN mission voices 'grave concern' for civilians
The UN mission which patrols the Blue Line separting Lebanon and Israel, UNIFIL, expressed "grave concern for the safety of civilians", amid what has been the deadliest day of violence and bombing by Israel since the October terror attacks sparked the regional crisis.
Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro, Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL, has contacted both Lebanese and Israeli parties, emphasizing the urgent need for de-escalation. "Efforts are ongoing to reduce tensions and halt the shelling", the mission added.
Any further escalation of this dangerous situation could have far-reaching and devastating consequences, not only for those living on both sides of the Blue Line but also for the broader region.
Attacks on civilians are not only violations of international law but could amount to war crimes, UNIFIL noted.
"It is essential to fully recommit to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which is now more critical than ever to address the underlying causes of the conflict and ensure lasting stability.”
Amid repeated calls from the international community for regional de-escalation, the Security Council met in emergency session last Friday, following deadly Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut and in the south.
The meeting came at the end of a week of increased cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces after two days of deadly wireless device explosions targeting the militant group.
