The organization confirmed several meetings of the special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, with Lebanese interlocutors to warn about the context.
The representative called on the parties to act with maximum restraint and refrain from any action or statement that could further exacerbate tensions, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the Secretary-General (António Guterres), said at a press conference.
At the same time, he insisted on the urgency of guaranteeing the protection of civilians.
“Since October, we have seen too many lives lost, families uprooted and neighborhoods destroyed.
“The danger of a broader conflagration is very real,” the spokesperson said during a briefing.
The UN also confirmed that its peacekeepers in Lebanon remain on the ground, with operational activities mandated and working at all levels to reduce tensions.
Since October 7, the Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel has also been the scene of confrontation, which has caused the displacement of populations on both sides of it.
The border guarded by UN blue helmets was established by the organization on June 7, 2000 to determine whether Israel had withdrawn from Lebanon.
Since then the unofficial border divides Lebanon and Israel, while Resolution 1701 of the United Nations Security Council demands the total cessation of hostilities, and the departure of Israeli and Lebanese troops from both sides.
ode/ebr
