UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. UN Special Coordinator: Lebanon and Israel are teetering on the brink of war Peace and Security
The ongoing war in Gaza and skirmishes on the Lebanese-Israeli border have left Lebanon and other countries in the region on the brink of a full-scale conflict, UN Special Coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Briefing ambassadors behind closed doors, Special Coordinator and head of UN peacekeeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix gave an update on the work of the UN mission monitoring the situation along the so-called Blue Line dividing Lebanon and northern Israel. Janine Hennis-Plasschaert said Lebanon and the region remain on the brink of war, but a diplomatic solution is still possible. According to her, an all-out conflict can be avoided, since neither Lebanon nor Israel really wants war. Hennis-Plasschaert expressed hope that a possible “Gaza deal” would lead to an immediate return to the ceasefire and the Blue Line, but in the current situation, a miscalculation by either side, she said, could easily spark a regional war. The special coordinator called on all interested parties to spare no effort to pull Israel, Lebanon and other countries in the region “back from the brink.”