UN coordinator, mission in Lebanon say further violence, destruction 'will not solve' underlying issues

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UN special coordinator (UNSCL) and UN's interim force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon on Tuesday underscored that further violence and destruction "will not solve" underlying issues in the Middle Eastern country where Israel is conducting airstrikes and has started a ground invasion.

In a joint statement, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL head of mission and force Commander Aroldo Lazaro said a year of near-daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line has led to "far too many lives" being "lost, uprooted, and devastated."

"Today, one year later, the near-daily exchanges of fire have escalated into a relentless military campaign whose humanitarian impact is nothing short of catastrophic," the statement said.

"With constant Israeli bombardment now part and parcel of daily life in Lebanon, and Hizbullah launching rocket and missile barrages at Israel, far too many people are paying an unimaginable price – with many killed, many more wounded, and hundreds of thousands displaced."

"... Further violence and destruction will neither solve the underlying issues nor make anyone safer in the long run. Quite the opposite," they said, and urged: "A negotiated solution is the only pathway to restore the security and stability that civilians on both sides so desperately want and deserve."

"The time to act accordingly is now."

While cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah continued since the Gaza war last October, Israeli forces escalated their offensive in Lebanon late last month, killing a string of senior Hezbollah commanders and the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. The intense bombardment has killed more than 1,200 civilians and displaced tens of thousands of others.