“Today, Israeli air strikes targeted the town of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, once again… As the battlefield and the intensity of the gunfights continue to expand, People’s suffering is reaching an unprecedented peak,” said UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert in a statement.
The senior UN official added that five people were killed in the attack and it was reported that the Mayor or Nabatieh were among those killed, along with a first humanitarian aid worker. .
A call for diplomacy
“Military solutions will not and cannot provide safety or security to either side of the Green Line,” Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert emphasized, referring to the United Nations-patrolled dividing line between Lebanon and Israel, where several peacekeepers have been injured in incidents involving the Israel Defense Forces in recent days.
“It is time for all parties involved to cease fire immediately and open the door to diplomatic solutions capable of meeting the needs of the people and promoting stability in the region,” she added.
Reflecting those concerns, the United Nations’ top aid official in Lebanon, Imran Riza, underline Israel’s stepped-up airstrikes in recent weeks have caused “widespread civilian casualties, mass displacement and widespread destruction across the country”.
The conflict has left medical and frontline workers under attack, along with civil defense centers and water systems, Riza continued. He said these had been pushed “to the brink of collapse”. “This has to stop.”
‘Breaking point’ in Syria
In a related development, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) speak that Syrians who have hosted waves of people fleeing war in Lebanon are now at a “breaking point”.
In a call for international support to resolve the “escalating humanitarian crisis in Syria” linked to the war in Lebanon, WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau said about 260,000 people have now crossed into Syria. to escape Israeli bombing and ground military operations.
Funding shortages earlier this year forced the United Nations agency to cut support for families currently helping evacuees from Lebanon.
“WFP is deeply concerned about the worsening food security situation in Syria,” Mr. Skau said. “More than half of the population in Syria is facing food insecurity, with approx Three million people are suffering from severe hunger and thirst. Syrians, who are already struggling to cope, are stepping in to take in families escaping violence in Lebanon, making a difficult situation even more dire.”
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