Lebanon: UN Special Coordinator Calls for Sustained Solution to the Conflict

UNIFIL soldiers in the Lebanese town of Marwahin on the border with Israel (AP)
UNIFIL soldiers in the Lebanese town of Marwahin on the border with Israel (AP)
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Lebanon: UN Special Coordinator Calls for Sustained Solution to the Conflict

UNIFIL soldiers in the Lebanese town of Marwahin on the border with Israel (AP)
UNIFIL soldiers in the Lebanese town of Marwahin on the border with Israel (AP)

UN special coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka said on Friday that the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2695 on the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate should be an opportunity for all sides to recommit to stability in southern Lebanon and along the Blue Line.

During a meeting with Lebanon’s caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, Wronecka stressed the importance of working towards the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006).

“It is important to move towards a permanent ceasefire and long-term solution to the conflict in line with Resolution 1701,” a statement issued by the office of the UN Special Coordinator quoted her as saying.

“To this end, UNSCOL works in support of the Lebanese authorities and extends the good offices of the UN Secretary-General for peace and security in the region,” she added.

On the presidential vacuum in Lebanon, she stressed the need to elect a new president and find ways to overcome the current political impasse.

In her upcoming round of meetings, the Special Coordinator will be encouraging stakeholders to adopt a constructive solution-oriented approach, said the statement.

The Special Coordinator reconfirmed the UN’s commitment to support Lebanon and the Lebanese people.



Netanyahu Says Israel Won't Stop Striking Hezbollah

Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Netanyahu Says Israel Won't Stop Striking Hezbollah

Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanese army soldiers and residents stand in front of a damaged building in the southern suburb of Beirut following an Israeli raid, in Beirut, Lebanon, 26 September 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel is striking Lebanon’s Hezbollah “with full force” and won’t stop until its goals are achieved.

Netanyahu spoke as he landed in New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly meeting and as US, European and some Arab officials were pressing for a 21-day halt in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah to give time for negotiations.

Netanyahu said Israel’s “policy is clear. We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we reach all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes.”

He added that he approved the “targeted killing operation” of the head of Hezbollah’s drone unit in south Beirut Thursday.

Israel has dramatically escalated strikes in Lebanon this week, saying it is targeting Hezbollah. Israeli leaders have said they are determined to stop more than 11 months of cross-border fire by the group into Israel, which has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis from communities in the north.