A joint statement by the Special Coordinator of the United Nations in Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, and the Head of UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major General Stefano Del Col, Monday, confirmed the UN readiness to support efforts to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
“It is six months since the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line began, and continue unabated, taking a heavy toll on both sides,” the statement added. It also said the unrelenting cycle of strikes and counterstrikes in breach of the cessation of hostilities constitute the most serious violation of Security Council Resolution 1701 since its adoption in 2006.
As the “gradual expansion” in the scope and scale of the confrontations well beyond the Blue Line significantly raises the risk of miscalculation and further deterioration of an already alarming situation.
The statement called all parties to recommit to the cessation of hostilities under Resolution 1701, avoiding further escalation, as “there is still space for diplomacy
” It was stressed that the political process, centered on fully implementing Resolution 1701, was now more essential than ever, aiming to address the root causes of the conflict and ensure long-term stability. The Blue Line is the withdrawal line established by the United Nations in 2000 to confirm the Israeli occupation forces’ withdrawal from Lebanese territories, as it is not a border between Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported on Monday that Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike on a house in Sultan Yacoub Village in South Lebanon, resulting in the death of three individuals and the injury of several others who were all transferred to the Governmental Hospital in Tebnine. Since last October, Lebanon has seen ongoing military clashes between Israeli forces and “resistance” groups in the southern regions and along the borders with the occupied Palestinian territories, following the launch of the Aqsa Flood operation in Gaza.
Source:Kuwait News Ag
ency