The Special Coordinator’s Office of the United Nations and UNIFIL in Lebanon have called on all parties to cease fire and refrain from further escalation, in light of concerning developments along the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon since early this morning. In a post on the platform “X” on Sunday morning, it stated, “A return to the cessation of hostilities, followed by the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, is considered the only sustainable way forward.” The office also affirmed that it will continue its contacts to strongly encourage everyone to de-escalate.
Earlier, Lebanese Hezbollah stated that it launched an air attack with a significant number of drones and missiles into Israeli territory, while the Israeli military announced that it had carried out extensive strikes in southern Lebanon to thwart a “major attack” by Hezbollah. Hezbollah added that the air attack was initially aimed at a significant Israeli military target, which will be announced later, stating this attack was “an initial response to the assassination of commander Fouad Shukr.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would take all necessary measures to defend itself and added in a statement on Sunday, “We are determined to do everything in our power to defend our country, return the residents of the north safely to their homes, and continue to adhere to a simple rule: whoever harms us will be harmed.” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a state of emergency across the country for 48 hours starting from 06:00 AM on Sunday.
