The Secretary‑General of the United Nations, speaking at a press conference during a visit to Lebanon, urged the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 and renewed calls for a withdrawal of Israeli forces and the simultaneous deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces across southern Lebanon.

"The cessation of hostilities is fragile; it is holding," the Secretary‑General said, adding that he called on "both parties and all those with influence to ensure commitments are realized." He said the newly established mechanism should be used to address outstanding issues.

The Secretary‑General described substantial destruction across southern Lebanon and said "hundreds of thousands of displaced residents have returned" to areas including southern Lebanon, southern Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, where many families found homes and communities in ruin. He said the rebuilding needs are great and that the United Nations "will intensify our support for recovery and reconstruction across Lebanon."

On security operations, the Secretary‑General reported that UNIFIL peacekeepers "uncovered over 100 unguarded weapons and ammunition caches" and shared their locations with the Lebanese Armed Forces. He said UNIFIL had carried out numerous missions in close cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces, facilitated deployments to positions and had "facilitated 39 humanitarian missions" in coordination with the Lebanese Red Cross, UN entities and non‑governmental organizations. He thanked UNIFIL personnel and contributing countries for remaining in position despite risks.

When asked whether there would be international moves to condemn attacks on U.N. positions, the Secretary‑General said he had visited a UNIFIL installation that had been shot at and that "all of those attacks to UNIFIL were strongly condemned by ourselves and by the international community." He reiterated that "all those violations must also be clearly condemned."

On UNIFIL force levels, the Secretary‑General said "there is no intention to increase the number [of] troops" but that there was "an intention to increase the capabilities of the force" and to adapt UNIFIL's conduct of operations to make it more effective in carrying out its mandate.

Asked about the status of UNRWA after recent Israeli legislation, he said he had not received a direct notification from Israel but that "UNRWA will, in all circumstances, continue to operate in Lebanon, in Jordan, and in Syria" and that U.N. operations would continue "unless they are stopped by Israel."

On humanitarian access to Gaza, he said the agreement governing a ceasefire includes obligations that Israel not create impediments to humanitarian aid entering Gaza, but he warned distribution would be difficult because of looting, infrastructure degradation and limited trucking capacity.

The Secretary‑General urged the international community to strengthen support to the Lebanese Armed Forces and to look beyond an initial 60‑day period to begin work to fully implement Resolution 1701 "in all its dimensions," saying that would lay a platform for the resolution's ultimate goal: a permanent ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.