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The UN Secretary-General on Sunday reiterated that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed, following the deliberate breach of a UN peacekeeping position by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) armored vehicles in southern Lebanon.

A ceasefire is chief among the most compelling needs now in Lebanon, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the country, Imran Riza, said on Thursday.

It is estimated that more than a million people have been affected by ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, which have escalated in recent weeks.

While most are Lebanese citizens, Palestinian and Syrian refugees who have found shelter there, as well as migrants, have also been impacted.

Over the past year, the escalation of hostilities has inflicted severe damage on communities in southern Lebanon. In just the last three weeks, the violence has intensified, causing widespread civilian casualties, mass displacement, and extensive destruction across the country, marking one of the deadliest periods in Lebanon’s recent history.

In partnership with Lebanon’s Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA), the ILO and UNICEF have taken immediate shock-responsive measures through the National Disability Allowance (NDA) framework already providing support to over 27,000 persons with disabilities aged 15-30 in Lebanon.

UN humanitarians in Lebanon on Tuesday described the massive challenge of trying to reach some 1.2 million people who have fled heavy Israeli bombardment and evacuation orders, driven by the fear that what happened in Gaza may befall them, too.

One year since near-daily exchanges of fire commenced across the Blue Line, initiated by Hizbullah propelling rockets into Shab‘a Farms, in violation of the cessation of hostilities and Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). One year in which far too many lives have been lost, uprooted, and devastated, while civilians on both sides of the Blue Line are left wanting for security and stability.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees called on Sunday for greater international support to stem the “humanitarian catastrophe” now engulfing Lebanon following a massive escalation in Israeli airstrikes and a “limited” ground invasion there targeting Hezbollah militants.

Diplomats have been highlighting Security Council resolution 1701 in official meetings and in the corridors over the busy High-Level Week at UN Headquarters.

Those discussions come at a time when attacks are escalating between Israel and Hezbollah, an armed group that holds with its allies 62 of the 128 democratically elected seats in Lebanon’s parliament.

Press Briefing by the Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon

Mr. Imran Riza

GENEVA, 27 September 2024

The recent escalations in Lebanon are nothing short of catastrophic.

قال وزير الخارجية اللبناني عبد الله بو حبيب إن لبنان يعيش "أزمة تهدد وجوده ومستقبل شعبه" تطلب تدخلا دوليا عاجلا قبل أن تخرج الأمور عن السيطرة، "وتتساقط أحجار الدومينو المترابطة، ويتحول عجز احتوائها وإطفائها إلى ثقب أسود يبتلع السلم والأمن الإقليميين والدوليين".