UN Chief Antonio Guterres condemns ‘escalation after escalation’ in the Middle East

By Deepak Arora

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 1: The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his extreme concern with the escalation of the conflict in Lebanon and has appealed for an immediate ceasefire, according to Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Briefing news persons here, the spokesperson informed that Antonio Guterres said "an all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs and the territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected.

The Secretary-General spoke earlier this morning to Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon. He told the Prime Minister that the entire United Nations system in Lebanon was fully mobilized to assist all those in need in his country.

The Secretary-General’s representatives on the ground will continue their efforts to do everything possible to de-escalate the situation, informed the spokesperson.

He said UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) have confirmed that despite these dangerous developments, UN peacekeepers remained in position and were regularly adjusting their posture and activities in order to fulfil their mandate.

"We, of course, remain grateful to the mission’s civilian and military personnel, who continue to serve under such conditions, and also to our troop-contributing countries (TCC) for their continued commitment and support to UNIFIL," said the spokesperson.

He said the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and UNIFIL were closely engaged with troop contributing countries to update them on developments and contingency planning.

Also in his statement, the Secretary-General appealed to the international community to urgently support the $426 million emergency flash humanitarian appeal that was launched in Beirut earlier today.

"Our humanitarian colleagues say that this money aims to support one million people with humanitarian assistance for the next three months. The Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, warned that without sufficient resources, humanitarians risk leaving the population of an entire country without the support they urgently need."

Meanwhile, OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) warns that the number of displaced people were expected to rise. "This as the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) continue to issue evacuation orders, including in 30 villages in south Lebanon, and those orders were issued between yesterday and today."

In this regard, he informed that over 100,000 people have now moved from Lebanon into Syria, as over 200,000 people have been displaced from southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, over 60,000 people remain displaced from their homes in northern Israel.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) continues to step up its emergency response and working with partners to provide urgent humanitarian and protection support in its response for those displaced in Lebanon.

Also, he said the UN partners were supporting the Government’s response by providing food, nutrition for children, water and other essential supplies such as mattresses and hygiene kits. UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) supported nearly 200 collective shelters hosting 50,000 displaced with essential supplies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to support the Lebanese Public Health Emergency Operation Centre by providing staff, financial and technical support, added Stéphane Dujarric.