Source: UN News: Friday, 03 April 2026 00:01 AM
The increasingly violent conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in Lebanon is worsening the situation and unprecedented levels of bombardment, resulting in the deaths of several UN peacekeepers. UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Affairs Jean-Pierre Lacroix, while addressing the Security Council meeting on Tuesday, noted that the warring parties have to fulfill their obligations under international law. There is deep tension in the Middle East in the entire region due to the aerial bombing of Iran by Israel and the United States on February 28 and subsequent retaliatory drone and missile attacks by Iran. On March 2, Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel in Lebanon, after which Israeli military forces launched a large-scale operation. Under these circumstances, violent confrontations have intensified along and beyond the Blue Line, the line separating northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Khaled Khyri, Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told the Security Council that the situation in Lebanon continues to deteriorate and there is heavy shelling in the area along the Blue Line. He said that since March 11, Hezbollah and Israel has expanded the scope of its military operations. Israeli military forces have been deployed deep into Lebanon and clashes have intensified. The Assistant Secretary-General has appealed to all parties to stop the conflict and return to the solution through diplomatic routes. Also, he has reiterated his support for the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701. The head of peacekeeping affairs, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said that the ground action of Israeli military forces has reached 11 kilometers inside Lebanon, there are fierce clashes with Hezbollah and widespread shelling. Israel has gained control to a large extent in the northern areas along the ‘Blue Line’. “The number of civilians becoming victims of this conflict is increasing.” At the same time, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) also suffered losses. On 30 March, an explosion in the area of Bani Hayyan killed two Indonesian peacekeepers serving with the UN mission and injured two others, one of whom is in critical condition. In this incident, the vehicle of the peacekeeping team was destroyed. According to initial investigation, this incident happened when the UN convoy passing by road was hit by an explosive. © UNIFIL Peacekeeper casualties in violence A day earlier, another Indonesian peacekeeper was killed and another seriously injured in shelling near a camp of the UNIFIL mission, who has been admitted to a hospital in Beirut. According to the preliminary investigation, the explosion was caused by the impact of a projectile. Under-Secretary-General Lacroix stressed that such tragic events should not have happened. “It bears repeating: peacekeepers must never be targeted. All actions that threaten their lives must stop immediately.” He urged all warring parties to always pay utmost attention to the safety and well-being of peacekeepers. According to Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Israeli military forces are increasing in Lebanon and are very close to the UN peacekeeping mission in Naqora. He said that at this dangerous time, the Security Council must show strong, united support for the UN mission. This is not only important, but mandatory. The sting of forced displacement © WFP/Alfredo Zuniga Displaced women and children are forced to live on blankets spread on the ground in a coastal area in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Tom Fletcher, the UN chief for coordination in emergency relief matters, informed the member states of the Security Council about the situation from the Lebanese capital Beirut. He said that he reached Beirut last night, where he saw a level of restlessness, tension and despair that has not been seen in the last several years. Under-Secretary-General Fletcher said that he had met with the President and Prime Minister of Lebanon, in which the seriousness of the situation was discussed. He will meet the parliament speaker on Wednesday. The head of emergency relief said that the situation on both sides of the Blue Line requires not only serious attention, but collective action to avert a worse crisis. Humanitarian challenges are deepening due to violent clashes in southern Lebanon, southern parts of Beirut and some areas of the Bekaa Valley. “Millions of civilians are still at risk. And villages are being completely destroyed due to military action. At the same time, there have been rocket attacks on northern Israel from over the ‘Blue Line’, and in the current circumstances, civilians are being forced into a cycle of forced displacement.
