UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on “all parties to protect civilians and create the conditions for a dialogue leading to a lasting ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.” He added that “the presence of Israeli forces north of the Blue Line, as well as their airstrikes on Lebanese territory, constitute a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
Guterres reiterated his call on “Israel to withdraw from the areas north of the Blue Line and to immediately halt its overflights of Lebanese territory.”
He stressed that “weapons must be exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese state, which must exercise full sovereignty over its territory,” while affirming that “UNIFIL will continue to support the Lebanese Army’s deployment south of the Litani River to ensure that the area remains free of any illegal weapons.”
The Secretary-General also condemned “Israeli forces firing near UNIFIL positions or attacking peacekeepers,” describing such actions as “utterly unacceptable.”
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