UN peace chief urges full implementation of resolution 1701 in Lebanon
UN peace official Jean-Pierre Lacroix calls for Lebanon and "Israel" to fully implement Resolution 1701, emphasizing the peacekeepers’ vital role in supporting stability.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix concluded a three-day visit to Lebanon, stressing that Security Council Resolution 1701 remains essential for stability.
In meetings with senior officials, including Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Lebanese army commander General Joseph Aoun, and others, he urged Lebanon and "Israel" to fully meet their obligations under the resolution.
Lacroix visited UNIFIL bases and met with its personnel, including those injured in recent Israeli attacks, and thanked the 50 troop-contributing countries supporting the mission.
"Peacekeepers from almost 50 troop-contributing countries continue to do their utmost to implement their mandated tasks, in very difficult and challenging conditions," Lacroix stated, adding that "by doing this, they are helping to create and hold the space for a political and diplomatic solution to emerge. We are extremely grateful to them for their dedication and commitment."
He reiterated the UN’s call for a "cessation of hostilities," supporting diplomatic efforts for a resolution and full implementation of 1701.
With impunity, IOF pursue aggression on South, Bekaa, Beirut's suburb
All these talks come amid "Israel's" impunity as it conducts relentless, indiscriminate strikes across Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Lebanon’s Bekaa region reported, on Thursday afternoon, that the death toll from an Israeli airstrike north of Baalbek has risen to 8, with 14 others wounded. Additionally, the Israeli occupation also struck the al-Sharawneh neighborhood, north of Baalbek.
In turn, Lebanon’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center confirmed that an Israeli airstrike on the al-Shaab neighborhood in Baalbek killed eight people, including five women, and injured 27 others, noting that the search and rescue teams also retrieved remains found on-site that are still pending identification.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that two Israeli raids targeted the town of Temnin in the Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon. Another raid targeted the vicinity of the town of Shaat, north of Baalbek district.
In an Israeli raid targeting a Civil Defense Center in Baalbek's Douris, eastern Lebanon, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that 12 were martyred, in addition to several injuries.
In another deliberate attack on Civil Defense personnel, 6 were martyred, including 4 paramedics, in an Israeli enemy raid on the town of Arabsalim, south of Lebanon.
Furthermore, Israeli fighter jets broke the sound barrier over several Lebanese areas, and Israeli drones continue to conduct surveillance missions over Lebanese regions, including Beirut.
The Israeli offensive also targeted Beirut's Southern Suburb for the third consecutive day, with strikes reported in Chiah and Ghobeiry.
Chiah came under attack with four strikes, impacting Abdel Karim al-Khalil Street, Maroun Mesk Street, near Chiah's Husseiniyah, and the al-Jammal produce market.
Other airstrikes hit areas in Ghobeiry, Haret Hreik, Burj al-Barajneh, and locations near Beirut International Airport.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the country, 3,386 people have been killed and 14,417 others have been injured.
Among these, 21 people were killed, and 73 injured in Israeli strikes on Wednesday alone, according to the Ministry.
The Israeli occupation has targeted 88 medical and ambulance centers, 40 hospitals, and 244 healthcare vehicles.
Furthermore, 65 hospitals and 218 ambulance associations were also targets of the Israeli occupation.
Read more: Israeli warplanes strike Beirut's southern suburb overnight