Lebanon: Civilians' suffering continues to mount- Press Conference | United Nations

Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, told the Security Council that Israeli forces “are in control of substantial areas immediately north of the Blue Line,” and expressed concern that politicians in Israel “now openly speak of the intention of an extended so-called security, or buffer zone, with the destruction of villages along the Blue Line and several bridges across the Litani River.” Lacroix said, “civilians suffering from the hostilities, continues to mount, while the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), “has now also suffered fatalities.” He said, “these are sadly not the only dangerous incidents faced by UNIFIL’s courageous peacekeepers” as there has been “a worrying increase in denials of freedom of movement and aggressive behaviour.” In the last week only, Lacroix noted, “thousands of trajectories were observed in both directions, as well as attacks by fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.” He said the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) “are advancing deeper into Lebanon, and clashes have been observed, including a very close proximity to UNIFIL headquarters in the Naqoura, which has been the subject of multiple impacts.”