This article is published in association with United Nations.

Highlights

• The crisis has entered its seventh day, with continued strikes and counter-strikes across the region.
• UN human rights chief warns the conflict is spreading beyond the initial parties and urged States to take immediate steps to de-escalate.
• Large-scale displacement orders and ongoing airstrikes in Lebanon are affecting hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Production team: Vibhu Mishra with Daniel Johnson in GenevaToday 12:15 μ.μ.

UN rights office warns displacement orders in Lebanon affecting hundreds of thousands

The UN human rights office has warned that large-scale displacement orders and ongoing airstrikes in Lebanon are worsening the suffering of civilians already affected by the conflict.

Speaking in Geneva, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said Israeli evacuation orders covering more than 100 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, as well as areas of Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa region, have affected hundreds of thousands of people. She warned the breadth of the orders could raise concerns under international humanitarian law and risk amounting to prohibited forced displacement.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has continued launching barrages of rockets into Israel, striking residential areas in the north and the centre of the country – raising concerns, once again, about indiscriminate attacks against civilians.

OHCHR urged all parties to de-escalate and comply with Security Council resolution 1701 and the 2024 ceasefire arrangements.Today 12:13 pm

WHO warns region’s health systems already under extreme strain

More than 115 million people across the Eastern Mediterranean region require humanitarian assistance, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which warns that health systems were already under severe pressure before the latest escalation.

The region faces 14 health emergencies, including seven at the highest level, with 80 million people experiencing food insecurity and dozens of disease outbreaks. 

Since the recent escalation of hostilities, more than 1,000 people have reportedly been killed and over 7,000 injured, adding further strain to already fragile health services.Today 12:02 μ.μ.

Extinguish the blaze in the Middle East, urges UN rights chief

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called for immediate steps to de-escalate the growing crisis in the Middle East, warning that continued strikes and escalating rhetoric risk further devastation for civilians.

Speaking in Geneva, Mr. Türk said the conflict – sparked a week ago by attacks on Iran and subsequent counterattacks – has already spread beyond the main parties and is causing significant damage across the region.

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UN WebTVToday 11:39 am

UN teams assisting arrivals at Syrian border

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After attack on Iran school, Türk urges probe

Staying with the stakeout in Geneva, the UN rights chief has called for a “prompt, transparent, and impartial” investigation into the deadly strike on a primary school during US and Israeli military attacks on the first day of the war. 

“We need this to happen very quickly and we need to also make sure that there is accountability as well as redress for the victims,” Volker Türk is telling journalists. “We don’t have more details because we are not present on the ground. It doesn’t help that there is an internet shutdown.”

UN News

Missiles reportedly destroyed a girl’s primary school in Minab, southern Iran, with more than 160 children are reported to have been killed.

Read the full story here.Today 11:07 am

War spreading like wildfire, Lebanon ‘key flashpoint’: UN rights chief

Violence across the Middle East is continuing as military strikes and counter-strikes are reported in several countries across the region, raising fears of wider instability and worsening humanitarian conditions. UN agencies warn the crisis is affecting at least 16 countries, with civilian casualties, displacement and damage to vital infrastructure increasing. Follow our live coverage for updates and reaction from across the United Nations system. UN News app users can follow here.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk condemned the escalating war in the Middle East and deliberate “confusion” being spread over international war.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Mr. Türk has just described Lebanon as a “key flashpoint”.

He highlighted Hezbollah militants’ attacks on Israel and Israel’s “heavy counter-strikes as well as its extensive displacement orders”.

Watch the full stakeout here.Today 11:02 am

Recap: Key developments from yesterday

• WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned the conflict is now affecting 16 countries, with more than 1,000 reported deaths and verified attacks on health care facilities in Iran and Lebanon.
• Displacement continued to surge in Lebanon, with tens of thousands forced from their homes and many sheltering in overcrowded schools; UN peacekeepers also helped transport civilians to safety from villages in the south.
• UNHCR teams are assisting families arriving at border crossings into Syria, providing transport, water and protection referrals for vulnerable people fleeing the violence.
• UNICEF warned children are paying a devastating price, with reports of hundreds killed and damage to schools and hospitals disrupting education and health services.

Click here for our coverage on Thursday.Today 10:57 am

LIVE NOW

We are following developments as the crisis in the Middle East, with strikes and counter-strikes continuing across the region and civilian suffering rising.

The United Nations and its agencies are responding across the region, warning of growing humanitarian impacts and calling for restraint and a return to diplomacy. Stay with us for real-time updates from UN Headquarters and the field.