UN Envoy: Conditions 'Not Yet in Place' for Safe Return of Lebanese Citizens to South

Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
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UN Envoy: Conditions 'Not Yet in Place' for Safe Return of Lebanese Citizens to South

Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher

Conditions are 'not yet in place' for the safe return of Lebanese citizens to southern Lebanon, according to a joint statement by the top UN official in Lebanon and the chief of the UN peacekeeping mission to Lebanon on Sunday.

They said that the timelines set under the US-brokered ceasefire that halted last year's war with Hezbollah were not met, urging recommitment from both Israel and Lebanon.

The statement comes after Israeli forces killed several people and injured scores trying to return to homes in south Lebanon where Israeli troops remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed on Sunday.

“As seen tragically this morning, conditions are not yet in place for the safe return of citizens to their villages along the Blue Line. Displaced communities, already facing a long road to recovery and reconstruction, are therefore once again being called on to exercise caution,” United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro said in the statement.

“Compliance by both parties with their obligations under the November Understanding and the full implementation of resolution 1701 constitute the only way to bring closure to the recent, dark chapter of conflict and open a new one, heralding security, stability and prosperity on both sides of the Blue Line,” they said.

“The United Nations continues to engage all actors towards this end and remains ready to support any action consistent with resolution 1701 and the efforts of the Implementation Mechanism to achieve the objectives of the November Understanding,” the statement said.

“With so much at stake for both Lebanon and Israel, recommitment is urgently needed from all sides,” it added.



Syrian Govt Says Fighting in Sweida Halted

19 July 2025, Syria, Sweida: Bedouin and tribal fighters gather in the city of Sweida, as smoke rises from burning houses amid clashes between tribal fighters and local Druze factions in southern Syria. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
19 July 2025, Syria, Sweida: Bedouin and tribal fighters gather in the city of Sweida, as smoke rises from burning houses amid clashes between tribal fighters and local Druze factions in southern Syria. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
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Syrian Govt Says Fighting in Sweida Halted

19 July 2025, Syria, Sweida: Bedouin and tribal fighters gather in the city of Sweida, as smoke rises from burning houses amid clashes between tribal fighters and local Druze factions in southern Syria. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
19 July 2025, Syria, Sweida: Bedouin and tribal fighters gather in the city of Sweida, as smoke rises from burning houses amid clashes between tribal fighters and local Druze factions in southern Syria. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa

Fighting in Syria's Sweida "halted" on Sunday, the government said, after the southern city was recaptured by Druze fighters and state forces redeployed to the region where more than 900 people have been killed in sectarian violence.

Sweida was "evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighborhoods were halted", Syria's interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said in a post on Telegram.

More than 900 people have been killed in Sweida since last Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin drew in the government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria.

In a statement on Saturday, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and urged all parties to commit to it and end hostilities in all areas immediately.

US envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Israel intervened in the conflict earlier this week, hitting government forces and the defense ministry building in Damascus as it declared support for the Druze minority.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later urged the Syrian government to "hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks".