UN Official Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Lebanon

The head of UN Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix has called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and full implementation of UN Resolution 1701. This came at the end of the UN official's four-day visit to Lebanon, during which he met with senior Lebanese officials and peacekeepers. Lacroix noted the importance of peacekeeping forces' role in preventing further escalation and assisting local communities. "I commend the role played by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) leadership and peacekeepers in ensuring liaison between the parties, mitigating the risk of miscalculation and preventing further escalation in these very challenging times," Lacroix said. Lacroix stressed that contacts with authorities on both sides must be intensified and sustained, encouraging a return to the cessation of hostilities and a recommitment to Resolution 1701 as a path toward a long-term diplomatic solution. "Current events further demonstrate that this resolution is even more relevant now," Lacroix noted , adding, "it continues to serve as the appropriate framework to achieve progress toward a permanent ceasefire." One person was killed and two others were injured yesterday, Saturday, as a result of an Israeli airstrike targeting a car in the vicinity of the town of Al-Bazourieh in southern Lebanon. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli entity has escalated its air and artillery targeting of towns and villages in southern Lebanon, causing deaths and injuries among civilians, and the displacement of hundreds of families from their homes. Source: Qatar News Agency