Global perspective Human stories
A shopping district in Beirut, Lebanon.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an end to the escalation in violence in the Middle East amid reports of a fresh wave of electronic device detonations in Lebanon which caused further deaths and injuries.
International media reported that walkie-talkies used by members of the Hezbollah militant group blew up on Wednesday, a day after hundreds of pagers across the country exploded simultaneously.
Mr. Guterres was deeply alarmed by reports that a large number of communication devices exploded in Lebanon and Syria over the past two days, his Spokesperson said in a statement.
At least 11 people were killed, including children – and thousands more injured.
Stop the fighting, restore stability
“The Secretary-General urges all concerned actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation,” the statement said.
He also called for the parties to recommit to the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities to restore stability.
Adopted in August 2006, the resolution aimed at ending the war that erupted that year between Israel and Hezbollah, on Lebanese soil. It calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the establishment of a demilitarized zone.
The statement concluded by saying the UN “supports all diplomatic and political efforts to end the violence that threatens to engulf the region.”
De-escalation ‘more crucial than ever’: UN rights chief
The device detonations are occurring against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and attacks last year in Lebanon, the Syrian Golan Heights and Iran, linked to the conflict.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, also issued a statement deploring the widespread simultaneous explosions and stressing the need for de-escalation.
“At this extremely volatile time, I appeal to all States with influence in the region and beyond to take immediate measures to avert further widening of the current conflicts – enough of the daily horrors, enough of the suffering,” he said.
“It is high time leaders stepped up in defence of the rights of all people to live in peace and security. The protection of civilians must be the paramount priority. De-escalation is today more crucial than ever.”
Call for investigation
Continuing, Mr. Turk said “simultaneous targeting of thousands of individuals, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowledge as to who was in possession of the targeted devices, their location and their surroundings at the time of the attack, violates international human rights law and, to the extent applicable, international humanitarian law.”
He called for an independent, thorough and transparent investigation and for those who ordered and carried out the attacks to be held to account.
