This follows Israeli airstrikes in the city’s southern suburbs targeting Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah militant group, according to media reports.
The incident comes amid escalating violence between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the UN-patrolled Blue Line, the dividing line in southern Lebanon, against the backdrop of nearly a year of war in the Gaza Strip.
Avoid all-out war
“The vicious cycle of violence must stop now and all sides must step back from the brink,” Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
“The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel and the wider region cannot afford an all-out war.” he said
Prime Minister Guterres called on the parties to recommit to full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) and immediately return to the cessation of hostilities.
Resolution 1701 was adopted in August 2006 and aimed to end the war that broke out that year between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It called for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the establishment of a demilitarized zone.
The Secretary-General also reiterated his long-standing appeal: Immediate ceasefire in Gaza Strip and All hostages released Held in the Enclave.
families on the move
The Beirut attack triggered a new wave of mass migration.
In response, UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency, expanded shelter operations to support forcibly displaced families.
UNICEF said in a post on social media platform
Meanwhile, the number of people heading to the border between Syria and Lebanon is “growing rapidly,” according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The newly arrived refugees, including women, children and the elderly, are “exhausted after traveling for hours without food or water,” the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Twitter.
Airstrikes leave thousands homeless
Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have forced thousands of people, including Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon, to flee their homes.
Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shows that 211,319 people have been displaced since October 2023 due to cross-border incidents.
Teams from the United Nations Agency for Assistance to Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) are responding, Palestine Secretary-General Philippe Lazarini said on Twitter on Saturday.
trauma, uncertainty, fear
UNRWA has opened seven emergency shelters across the country and is currently hosting 1,600 people, including Lebanese citizens and Palestinian and Syrian refugees.
“Many people are traumatized by the continued bombardment, uncertainty and fear,” Mr. Lazzarini said. “For some, it is a trauma relived by repeated cycles of conflict over decades.”
He warned that further expansion of the war would only lead to more suffering for civilians.
Mr. Lazarini concluded his tweet by emphasizing that civilians must be protected and civilian infrastructure should not be targeted.
