What's New

The Security Council had met at a critical juncture for Syria’s fragile transition. While the Iran-US ceasefire has temporarily eased regional spillover from Lebanon and elsewhere, conditions remain volatile in Syria. The reported US military withdrawal now completed, marks a milestone, yet the chamber faces a country grappling with deep internal fissures and external pressures. 

More than 840,000 people die each year from health conditions linked to risks such as long working hours, job insecurity, workplace harassment and bullying, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO). 

A massive wave of Israeli airstrikes struck Lebanon on Wednesday – despite the US-Iran ceasefire declared hours earlier – killing 254 people and injuring 1,165 others, according to local authorities. 

Strikes hit densely populated areas, including Beirut, with no warning, leaving many still trapped under rubble. 

With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.

The UN Spokesperson said that discussions continue around the new task force to ensure safe transit for humanitarian shipments of fertilisers and other material via the Strait of Hormuz.

Furthermore, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on the Middle East conflict, Jean Arnault, is heading to the region today “and will be able to report more detail soon, likely tomorrow or the day after, on the list of countries that he will visit.”

Strikes and counter-strikes continue across the Middle East, with dozens of casualties reported over the weekend in Lebanon following Israeli strikes targeting the south and the capital, Beirut. Meanwhile, humanitarian needs are rising, critical infrastructure remains under strain, and the wider economic and global impacts of the crisis continue to mount. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system.

Key developments

The Middle East crisis has lurched into its second month, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to issue a stark warning on Thursday morning that the world is “on the edge of a wider war” with catastrophic global implications.

Three United Nations peacekeepers lost their lives while serving in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours. Nine Lebanese paramedics were killed in just one day this weekend. The death toll from the escalation in hostilities between Hizbullah and Israel since 2 March now stands at 1,247. It includes healthcare workers, journalists and civilians going about their daily lives, as well as Lebanese soldiers not engaged in hostilities.

The United Nations has condemned two consecutive days of deadly attacks on peacekeepers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), amid rising hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants. 

Two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed on Monday, and two more were injured, in an explosion that hit a UNIFIL logistics convoy, destroying their vehicle.

Some 20,000 seafarers have been impacted by the ongoing war in the Middle East and the shipping crunch that’s resulted.

According to the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO), there have been 18 attacks on shipping trying to sail through the Strait of Hormuz – a vital route for oil and gas destined for the wider world – between 1 March and 19 March.