Smoke rises in Beirut, Lebanon, following the outbreak of hostilities across the Middle East.
This article is published in association with United Nations.
Lebanon has been “dragged back into a state of turmoil and violence”, the UN’s top envoy in the country warned on Saturday, after the latest round of regional strikes triggered a fast‑escalating crisis along the Blue Line. What had been fragile but real momentum, she said, has now collapsed in a matter of days.
Just a week ago, Lebanon had been “in relatively good shape”, Jeanine Hennis‑Plasschaert, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, said in a press statement.
The armed forces were extending State authority, long‑promised reforms were finally advancing, and preparations for legislative elections were underway. A major World Bank loan was set to jump‑start reconstruction, and a warming diplomatic track with Syria was creating “new areas for bilateral cooperation”.
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‘Progress has halted overnight’
“Of course, things were not perfect,” she said – airstrikes, political infighting and institutional paralysis remained real constraints. “But there was progress. Progress which has now come to a screeching halt.”
Since Monday’s surge in violence – Lebanon became involved in the expanding Middle East crisis on Monday after Hezbollah reportedly launched missiles at Israel – families who had just returned home “now find themselves, again, without a roof over their heads”.
Public sentiment, she added, has swung from disbelief to outrage, as evacuation orders widen and “direct hits are on the rise”.
‘Hostilities must end’
Ms. Hennis‑Plasschaert emphasized: continuing military action “will not deliver a lasting win to anyone” and will instead deepen instability. She urged all sides to return to the framework of UN Security Council resolution 1701, calling it the only internationally recognised basis for ending the cycles of violence affecting both Lebanese and Israeli civilians since 2006.
“As bad as things are today, they are set to get even worse,” the Special Coordinator warned. “The choice is clear: stay on a path of death and destruction, or commit to restraint, engagement and dialogue.”
UN peacekeepers injured
Her warning came as the UN reported that three Ghanaian peacekeepers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured on Friday inside their position in Al Qawzah amid heavy fire.
UN Secretary‑General António Guterres condemned the incident and wished the peacekeepers a swift recovery, stressing that UN personnel and installations “must be respected at all times”, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson, which also urged all parties to de‑escalate and fully adhere to their obligations under resolution 1701.
- For more of our coverage of the situation in the Middle East, click here.
- Find out more about UNIFIL and the Blue Line here.
- Learn more about UN Security Council Resolution 1701 here.
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