– The UN Security Council held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss developments in the Middle East, with members hearing a briefing from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Guterres said that the fires in the Middle East are rapidly turning into an inferno, and emphasized the need to stop this deadly cycle of mutual violence.
“Exactly one week ago, I briefed the Security Council on the alarming situation in Lebanon, and since then, things have gotten much worse,” he said, questioning what remains of the framework created by Resolution 1701.
“Civilians are paying a heavy price, and I strongly condemn this,” Guterres said, adding that since last October, more than 1,700 people have been martyred in Lebanon, including more than 100 children and 194 women, and more than 346,000 people have been confirmed displaced from their homes, with government estimates putting that number as high as one million.
He emphasized that peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) remain in place, and
the UN flag continues to fly despite Israel’s request to relocate its troops.
“As I did in connection with the Iranian attack in April, and as was clear yesterday in the context of the condemnation I expressed, I once again strongly condemn Iran’s massive missile attack on Israel yesterday,” he said.
Such attacks do nothing to advance the cause of the Palestinian people or alleviate their suffering, he said.
Source: Jordan News Agency
