UN envoy urges action to address ‘growing risk of a serious escalation’ in the Middle East

Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, issued a statement saying he has engaged in “critical discussions with the relevant parties and Member States in the region, including Lebanon, Egypt and Qatar, in support of regional de-escalation”.

“I underscored the urgency of addressing the growing risk of a serious escalation, which poses a substantial threat to regional stability,” he said. “We examined the ongoing efforts to mediate and de-escalate the situation and explored ways to prevent a spillover of the conflict.”

The envoy “reaffirmed the necessity of urgent, coordinated action to prevent further deterioration of the situation”.

He stressed that it was crucial to “act decisively and collectively to address the immediate threats and lay the groundwork for a lasting peace”.

Peacekeeping chief also calls for de-escalation

In related developments,

The head of UN Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, concluded a four-day visit to Lebanon on Friday – part of a wider mission to the Middle East - where he strongly stressed the need for de-escalation and a return to a cessation of hostilities.

In meetings with senior officials, the peacekeeping chief highlighted the risk of a wider conflagration and called for maximum restraint and a cessation of the ongoing intensified exchanges of fire across the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel.

Mr. Lacroix also met with members of the diplomatic corps, as well as UN officials and peacekeepers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Challenging times

During his visit to the UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura and its area of operations, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro provided Mr. Lacroix with latest updates on the situation in the area and along the Blue Line. He was also briefed on the mission’s best efforts to prevent further escalation.

“I commend the role played by the UNIFIL leadership and peacekeepers in ensuring liaison between the parties, mitigating the risk of miscalculation and preventing further escalation in these very challenging times,” Mr. Lacroix said.

“Contacts with authorities on both sides must be intensified and sustained, encouraging a return to the cessation of hostilities and a recommitment to Resolution 1701 as a path toward a long-term diplomatic solution.”

Adopted by the UN Security Council in August 2006, resolution 1701 aimed at ending the war that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, and the establishment of demilitarized zone.

“Current events further demonstrate that this resolution is even more relevant now,” Mr. Lacroix said. “It continues to serve as the appropriate framework to achieve progress toward a permanent ceasefire.”