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UN warns escalation in Middle East could trigger wider conflict; reports strikes and drone activity near UNIFIL convoys
Summary
In a press briefing the UN said recent strikes involving the United States and Iran, rising hostile rhetoric, and multiple incidents near UNIFIL convoys underscore the need to return to full ceasefire implementation; UNIFIL reported injuries to two Malaysian peacekeepers and significant drone activity.
The United Nations's spokesperson warned that continuing escalation in the Middle East, including reported strikes by the United States on targets in Iran and strikes by Iran on neighboring countries, could risk triggering a wider resumption of conflict with unpredictable consequences, and urged a return to full implementation of ceasefires.
The briefing said the Secretary-General will press for diplomacy and negotiations and called on all parties to uphold obligations under international law and take feasible precautions to protect civilians. "The only way forward is through genuine dialogue and negotiations," the spokesperson said.
On incidents in southern Lebanon, the spokesperson said a strike impacted near a UNIFIL logistical convoy in the village of Harris (sector west), slightly injuring two Malaysian peacekeepers and damaging two vehicles; the convoy returned to a nearby UNIFIL base and the injured personnel were reported stable. The spokesperson also described a separate incident in which an IDF tank fired near a UNIFIL convoy northwest of Bint Jubai, and said UNIFIL reported significant drone activity in the Bayad area, including reconnaissance and armed drones at altitudes between 50 and 250 meters and two armed drones that later crashed near UNIFIL positions. The briefing said UNIFIL will investigate the incidents.
The spokesperson gave a one-day tally in which UNIFIL recorded 86 violations of Lebanese airspace (totaling more than 128 hours of cumulative overflight), 14 Israeli air strikes, and 449 projectile trajectories in the area, 431 of which originated from south of the Blue Line. UNIFIL also facilitated nine humanitarian missions that day. The briefing reiterated that UN personnel and assets must be protected for UN forces to carry out their Security Council mandate without harassment or obstruction.
