UN Security Council Convenes After Deadly Strike Kills UNIFIL Peacekeepers

United Nations, New York City

Sphinx News: Ahmed Ali

With three Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon over the past two days, these reprehensible actions have been met with a swift emergency Security Council meeting, where UN officials underscore the necessity for a diplomatic solution to end the regional upheaval.

Arising during a period of heightened duress, the latest Israeli encroachment into southern Lebanon, marking an unwelcome resurgence of hostilities between the IDF and Hezbollah, has, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, displaced over 1.1 million people, including 370,000 children, and resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 civilians.

What has been a particular point of global outcry, however, has been the death of three Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers, an action characterized today by the Council as sordid in its very nature.

In statements delivered both yesterday and the day prior by UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), it was revealed that three of its peacekeepers were killed in south Lebanon just hours apart in separate incidents. On Sunday, UNIFIL said one of its peacekeepers was killed “when a projectile exploded in a UNIFIL position” near the southern Lebanese village of Aadshit al-Qusayr.

In the second, more recent incident yesterday, UNIFIL revealed, “Two peacekeepers were tragically killed in south Lebanon today when an explosion of unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan. A third peacekeeper was severely injured, and a fourth was also hurt.” The force said that the exact “origin of the projectile” was not immediately clear, but that an investigation had been launched into the incident.

The Secretary-General immediately condemned the acts of belligerence as illicit in nature, stating yesterday through his Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, “As you know, UNIFIL peacekeepers have been the subject of aggressive behavior, intimidation and threats, and this must stop immediately.” He added that the incident is being further analyzed, where, following coordination with Israeli and Lebanese authorities, “a team is on the way to the scene now.” The SG underscored the need for all parties to “uphold their obligations under international law and to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property at all times.”

STATEMENT DELIVERED BY TOM FLETCHER, UNDER-SECRETARY GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS AND RELIEF COORDINATION

The Secretary-General’s staunch position was reiterated within the Council today through his Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher. Under-Secretary-General Fletcher told the Council today that such a protracted conflict has had devastating humanitarian repercussions on Lebanon, particularly in the areas south of the Litani River. Briefing virtually from Beirut, Fletcher told Council members that, despite his position of relative sanctuary in the country’s northern provinces, there had still been an overwhelming feeling of trepidation, where conversations with civilians indicated an entrenched, apprehensive attitude across the entire state.

Highlighting the conflict’s sheer human brutality, Fletcher cited the killing of “more than 1,240” civilians, the death of “52 first responders”, and the life-altering injury of 3,500 people. Fletcher added that hostilities pervade “across southern Lebanon, across Beirut’s southern suburbs, the Dahiyeh, and parts of the Bekaa.”

With the death of so many, he notes that “Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain in harm’s way, especially with military advances flattening entire villages.” He says a “coercive cycle of regional displacement” is being exacerbated, where “over 200,000 people have crossed into Syria” for refuge.

Additionally, Fletcher reveals that the country’s very foundation is being undermined, where “six of the eight bridges south of the Litani River have now been destroyed, and more vital infrastructure is under attack.”

Israel has justified the attacks on civilian infrastructure as a means of deterring Hezbollah forces, citing the paramilitary group’s purported use of such infrastructure as a means to distribute weaponry.

Nonetheless, Fletcher says the United Nations Emergency Relief Fund has postured itself, in conjunction with the active Lebanese Government, to launch a “308 million Flash Appeal” to provide lifesaving support to up to one million people over the next three months.

Already scaling up its humanitarian distribution through mattresses, hot meals, sleeping mats, and hot food, Fletcher demands that the Council act with urgency. He implores the high delegates to understand the magnitude and future implications of such large-scale suffering, telling Council members, “Given the trajectory that some Israeli ministers have described (concerning intentions of occupation of southern Lebanon), and given what we have seen in plain sight in Gaza, how will you protect civilians?”