Lebanon Facing 'Catastrophic' Situation, UN Expert

The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said  on Tuesday that Lebanon is currently experiencing a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic magnitude and cautioned about extensive economic consequences stemming from the ongoing conflict.

In her briefing to the UN Security Council, she said, "Lebanon is grappling with a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions; the ongoing conflict fails to address the fundamental issues and does not facilitate the return of citizens on both sides of the Blue Line to their homes."

Plasschaert further noted that both parties now have a significant opportunity to conclude this devastating period, particularly since a framework for resolving the conflict is already in place, specifically referring to Resolution 1701, which concluded a previous war between the Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.

The UN coordinator emphasized that it is imperative this time that "the parties cannot selectively implement certain provisions while disregarding others," underscoring that both sides "cannot bear the repercussions of another phase of insincere implementation of the resolution under the pretense of calm, as this will inevitably lead to the resurgence of conflict."

She also warned that the economic fallout from the conflict in Lebanon "will be extensive and will exacerbate the already worsening social, economic, and financial conditions," highlighting that the funding for the urgent humanitarian appeal for Lebanon has only reached 23.5%, and urged for "the transformation of pledges into actual funding that reflects the severity of the crisis."