United Nations officials in Lebanon emphasized the urgent need to “cease hostilities” that have been ongoing along the Lebanese-Israeli border for six months and to “avoid further escalation” as long as “there is still room for diplomatic efforts.”
This call comes amidst a period of intense conflict, which saw a senior member of the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah killed in an early morning Israeli strike on southern Lebanon.
In a joint statement, Joanna Wronecka, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and General Aroldo Lázaro, head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), highlighted that “six months have passed since the exchange of fire across the Blue Line began, and it continues relentlessly, causing significant losses on both sides.”
The statement further noted, “The gradual expansion in the scope and size of confrontations beyond the Blue Line significantly increases the risks of miscalculation.”
UNIFIL peacekeepers patrol the so-called Blue Line, delineated by the United Nations in 2000 following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
Wronecka and Lázaro stressed the importance of “refocusing on the ultimate goal of a permanent ceasefire and finding a long-term solution to the conflict.”
They urgently appealed to all parties to recommit to ceasing hostilities under the framework of Resolution 1701, adopted by the Security Council in 2006, which stipulates that armed presence in southern Lebanon be limited to the Lebanese army and UN forces, while there is still an opportunity for diplomatic efforts.
Meanwhile, a field commander from Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon early yesterday.
The Israeli military and two Lebanese security sources reported that Israeli fighter jets bombed the village of Al-Sultaniyah, killing a field commander from Hezbollah’s Radwan force and two others. The Radwan force is affiliated with Hezbollah.
The Israeli army identified the commander as Ali Ahmad Hussein, involved in planning and executing attacks against Israelis. Hezbollah confirmed his death but did not provide details about his role.
An Israeli airstrike targeted the “Al-Maslakh” neighborhood in the town of Al-Khiyam, in southern Lebanon, coinciding with artillery shelling of the same area.
Israeli artillery also shelled the outskirts of the town of “Mays al-Jabal” and the plain of Marjayoun in southern Lebanon, as announced by the National News Agency, the official Lebanese media outlet.
In the early hours, Israeli warplanes targeted a house in the town of “Kfarchouba” with two missiles, resulting in no casualties.
Hezbollah also announced targeting the Israeli naval site at “Ras al-Naqoura” with a kamikaze drone.
