UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visits a tent housing internally displaced people. The UN Secretary-General demanded that Hezbollah and Israel respect Lebanese sovereignty Peace and security
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, stressing the need to respect international law and Lebanese sovereignty. These words came “against the backdrop of ongoing violence that is destroying the lives of people on both sides of the border.”
Speaking to reporters in Beirut during a “visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon,” the UN chief warned that escalating fighting could turn large parts of the country into “scorched earth” and worsen the suffering of civilians. He noted that recent exchanges have already led to widespread destruction and displacement in Lebanon.
Civilians pay the highest price
Over the past two weeks, missiles and drones launched by Hezbollah have targeted targets in northern Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. The response was massive Israeli bombing and evacuation orders in various areas of Lebanon. According to the Secretary-General, hundreds of Lebanese were killed, including children, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes.
The Lebanese people did not choose this war. He was dragged into it
Guterres said that during his trip he visited a shelter for displaced people and was deeply shocked by the stories of people who lost their homes. He warned that southern Lebanon, already heavily damaged by fighting, risked becoming uninhabitable if the violence continued.
“The Lebanese people did not choose this war,” he emphasized. “He was pulled into it.”
“There is no military solution”
The UN head addressed the parties to the conflict with a direct call to stop hostilities and return to diplomacy.
“Stop the shelling. Stop the bombing,” he said, emphasizing that there is no military solution – only diplomacy, dialogue and full implementation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.
The agreement to end hostilities reached at the end of 2024 brought only temporary relief and was never fully respected, Guterres noted. He said violations continued on both sides of the Blue Line demarcation between Lebanon and Israel, monitored by UN peacekeepers.
Resolution 1701 requirements must be met
class=”notranslate”>__GTAG7__ The key to stabilizing the situation, he emphasized, is the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 after the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
“It is critical that Hezbollah respects the government’s decision to ensure a state monopoly on the use of weapons, as well as all relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolution 1701,” the Secretary-General said.
At the same time, he emphasized, Israel is also obliged to comply with international law.
“And it is extremely important that Israel respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon,” the Secretary General added.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visits a UN peacekeeper from Ghana who was wounded in the conflict in Lebanon in hospital.
Support for UN peacekeepers
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon is doing its job peacekeeping mission along the Blue Line despite ongoing hostilities. Guterres commended the peacekeepers for their courage, recalling that three Ghanaian soldiers were wounded in recent shootings.
“Attacks on peacekeepers are absolutely unacceptable,” he stressed, warning that such actions violate international law and could be considered war crimes.
Call to the international community
In addition to the ceasefire, the Secretary-General called on the international community to increase support for Lebanon, including strengthening the capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces and responding to the humanitarian appeal launched the day before.
“The people of Lebanon – like the people of Israel and other peoples of the region – deserve to live without fear,” he said, “to raise their children without the sound of sirens and bangs. To return home without wondering when they will have to flee again.”
Guterres noted that the UN will continue to work with the Lebanese authorities and international partners to achieve de-escalation and bring a peaceful future for the region closer.
