Lebanon is at ‘breaking point’ as displacement surges and attacks intensify

Briefing the ambassador from Beirut, Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said he came to look for”anxiety and tension on a level I haven’t seen in years”, as airstrikes and drone activity continue to rock the capital and surrounding areas.

“The situation on both sides of the Blue Line requires not only the attention of the Council, but also your collective action to prevent a worse crisis,” he emphasizeddescribed the discussions as “urgent”.

Fletcher said the humanitarian toll had worsened sharply. “Over the last four weeks, more than 1,240 people died… and another 3,500 were injured,” he said, noting that women, children and first responders were among the dead.

‘Forced transfer’

More than 1.1 million people were displaced at that time, including hundreds of thousands of children. “A cycle of forced displacement is underwayhe warned, with families repeatedly forced to flee. “Displacement is not a solution, but a painful last resort… a temporary way to preserve dignity.”

He said civilians on both sides of the line lived in fear, as rockets continued to be fired at northern Israel while Israeli attacks devastated parts of southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley. Entire villages have been razed to the ground, and important infrastructure destroyed, including most of the bridges south of the Litani river.

“Civilians, wherever they are, in Israel and Lebanon, must be protected,” Fletcher said, underscoring that international humanitarian law requires distinction, proportionality and caution. “Health services, water and electricity… must also and always be saved.”

Isolation grows

The impact on basic services has been severe, hospitals and clinics have been forced to close and schools have been turned into shelters. “Entire communities are becoming increasingly isolated,” he added.

Despite the crisis, humanitarian agencies have stepped up operations, delivering millions of meals and essential supplies. However, funding is still limited. Of the emergency appeal of $308 million, only $94 million has been received so far.

Most importantly, Mr Fletcher delivered a direct message from those affected: “They want security. They want dignity. They want this to stop.”

He urged Council members to act decisively, asking tough questions about how civilians will be protected, how the international community should respond to mass displacement, and how to prevent further political instability.

Turning to Lebanese society, he delivered a message of solidarity and determination: “Don’t give up on the Lebanese idea. If coexistence fails here, it will fail everywhere.”

“We have often said that we cannot let Lebanon fail,” he concluded. “Now is the true test of that promise.”

Peacekeeper killing ‘should not have happened’

The emergency meeting was called by France after three Indonesian peacekeepers served in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFILE) were killed this week, and several others seriously injured, in two separate incidents that occurred within 24 hours and amid wider war in the region.

“This tragic development should not have happened,” it said UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who briefed alongside Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari and the UN aid chief.

UNIFIL is conducting an investigation to determine the causes of the “two disgusting incidents” but the peacekeepers also faced “unpleasant events.” an alarming increase in the denial of freedom of movement and aggressive behavior,” Mr. Lacroix reported.

“We say it clearly, and there is a need to say it all too often: Peacekeepers must not be targeted,” he stressed.

“All actions that endanger peacekeeping forces must cease immediately… The inviolability of UN installations must be respected.”

In the interim, UNIFIL continues to reassess its deployment to mitigate risks and strengthen force protection. The mission remains in constant contact with the parties “to avoid misunderstandings, defuse conflicts, and defuse tensions wherever possible.”

Council support, ‘indispensable’

He underscored the critical need to support both parties in full implementation Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), which ended hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah two decades ago.

“In this extremely dangerous period, strong and unified Council support for UNIFIL and its peacekeeping forces is not only essential – it is absolutely necessary,” he said.

“The women and men carrying out this mandate should know that this Council stands firmly behind them.”

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