UN Headquarters Building in New York UN Issues Statements on Explosions in Lebanon and Syria Peace and Security
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is deeply concerned by reports that multiple communications devices exploded in Lebanon and Syria on 17 and 18 September, killing at least eleven people, including children, and injuring thousands more.
This is stated in a statement issued on behalf of the head of the UN by his press secretary. The UN Secretary-General “urges all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint in order to prevent further escalation.”
He also urged the parties to reaffirm their commitment to implementing Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and to immediately return to the cessation of hostilities in order to restore stability.
“The United Nations supports all diplomatic and political efforts aimed at ending the violence that threatens to engulf the region,” the UN press service notes.
Earlier on Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also issued a statement on the explosions in Lebanon and Syria. The impact of these explosions on civilians is unacceptable, the UN human rights chief said.
“At these extremely volatile times, I call on all States with influence in the region and beyond to take immediate action to prevent the further spread of the current conflicts,” the High Commissioner said in a statement.
“The protection of civilians must be a top priority. “De-escalation is more important today than ever,” Türk stressed.
According to him, such coordinated attacks on thousands of people, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without precise information about who has the devices, their location and surroundings at the time of the explosion, are a violation of international human rights law and, to the extent applicable, international humanitarian law.
According to media reports, at least 11 people were killed and more than three thousand were injured as a result of the explosions of pagers used by members of the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon on September 17. Hezbollah blamed Israel for the attack.
The UN’s top human rights official called for an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the mass explosions and for those who ordered and carried out the attack to be held accountable.