Source: United Nations (Video News)
Press conference by Andrea Tenenti, Spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), on the peacekeeping mission in the country.
———–
Civilians in southern Lebanon are bearing the brunt of escalating violence, with more than 2,700 deaths reported in Lebanon since October last year said Andrea Tenenti, the spokesperson for UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
“According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, the death toll in Lebanon since October last year has reached over 2,700 people, and the number of wounded to over 12,700, around 25 percent women and children. More than 2,000 deaths have occurred since 23 September of this year,” Tenenti said at a press briefing in New York on Wednesday (30 Oct).
Over 800,000 people have been forced from their homes, with 60 percent of the displaced coming from areas within UNIFIL’s operational zone in southern Lebanon, Tenenti said, citing statistics from the International Organization for Migration. “Statistics like this cannot fully capture the human cost of conflict, and it’s the civilians who continue to suffer,” he added.
The mounting violence has also impacted UN peacekeeping operations, with more than 30 incidents of damage to UN property or injury to peacekeepers reported since the start of October. Tenenti noted that 20 of these incidents were linked to actions by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), with seven identified as deliberate.
“In an incident yesterday, a rocket likely fired by Hezbollah or affiliated group, hit UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, where a vehicle workshop was set on fire, with some peacekeepers suffering minor injuries,” Tenenti said and added, “for about a dozen other incidents, the origin of the fire could not be determined.”
Amid the ongoing conflict, Tenenti underscored UNIFIL’s role in supporting peace efforts under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which has governed the mandate since 2006. “We are here to implement the mission’s mandate, but any changes will be up to the Security Council. At the moment, the rules of engagement that have been used have been adequate to the situation on the ground,” he said.
Responding to criticism that UNIFIL has not fully implemented its mandate, Tenenti pointed to the need for cooperation from all parties involved in the conflict. “The mandate has to be implemented by the parties. UNIFIL is here to support the parties in the implementation of the mandate, so we need the commitment of the parties in order to implement resolution 1701,” he said. “From 2006 until October last year, the South of Lebanon had witnessed one of its quietest periods in recent history.”
According to UNIFIL, around 500,000 people have fled southern Lebanon, with the population in the area estimated at 600,000. “The vast majority of the population in the South has left, though some people still remain in the area today,” Tenenti said. “It’s a very dramatic situation, as most villages are being completely destroyed and the shelling continues.”