Lebanon has been "dragged back into a state of turmoil and violence," warned the UN's top envoy, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. Recent regional strikes have triggered a fast-escalating crisis along the Blue Line, collapsing fragile but real momentum for progress.
Just a week prior, Lebanon was in "relatively good shape." State authority was extending, reforms were advancing, and legislative elections were being prepared. A major World Bank loan was set to aid reconstruction, and diplomatic efforts with Syria showed promise.
However, "progress has halted overnight," Hennis-Plasschaert stated. Since Monday's surge in violence, families who had returned home are now displaced again. Public sentiment has shifted from disbelief to outrage as evacuation orders expand and direct hits increase.
Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert emphasized that continuing military action will deepen instability. She urged all sides to return to UN Security Council resolution 1701, the sole internationally recognized basis for ending cycles of violence affecting 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."
This warning follows an incident where three Ghanaian peacekeepers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured inside their position amid heavy fire. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the incident, stressing that UN personnel and installations must be respected.