Diyar Guldogan
17 September 2024•Update: 17 September 2024
WASHINGTON
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, "deplored" Tuesday's deadly attack across Lebanon.
"In accordance with international humanitarian law, she reminds all concerned actors that civilians are not a target and must be protected at all times. Even one civilian casualty is one too many.
"The developments today mark an extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context," according to a statement.
It came after at least nine people, including children, were killed and thousands wounded in simultaneous detonations of pagers in Lebanon.
Hennis-Plasschaert urged all concerned actors to refrain from "any further action, or bellicose rhetoric" which could trigger a wider conflagration that nobody can afford.
She underlined the urgency of restoring calm and encouraged everyone “to prioritize stability as paramount. "
Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah held Israel fully responsible for the wireless explosions and vowed “just retaliation from unexpected quarters.”
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
The mass explosion came amid an exchange of cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel against the backdrop of a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 41,200 victims, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 last year.
