Families in Lebanon have temporarily taken up residence in a building that serves as an orphanage during peacetime. Negotiations between the US and Iran have reached a dead end: the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is heating up Peace and Security
The development of events over the past weekend provoked a new round of tension in the world. Saturday’s talks between the US and Iran ended without results. Compounding the situation is US plans to block Iranian ports, which could lead to wider escalation and disruption to global trade. At the same time, the humanitarian crisis is deepening: according to the Lebanese authorities, the number of people killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes has already exceeded 2,000 people.
Humanitarian Catastrophe
Leaders of major humanitarian organizations have expressed extreme concern over what they call “systematic violations of the rules of war and international humanitarian law” across the region. Thousands of civilians have been killed or wounded in recent weeks. Hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes, many of them having to flee multiple times.
There are also ongoing reports of attacks on health workers, hospitals and schools. Large-scale destruction of civilian infrastructure leads to the fact that basic services become inaccessible to the population.
Humanitarian workers are also at risk: in a number of countries in the region, deaths of humanitarian personnel have been recorded. UN agencies call on all parties to the conflict to respect international law, ensure the protection of civilians and hold those responsible for serious abuses accountable.
Strait of Hormuz: Global food security under attack
Shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz put not only the energy market at risk, but also world food security. The representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Maximo Torero warned about this.
According to him, the blockage of transport routes could paralyze the movement of 30-35 percent of the world’s crude oil, about 20 percent of the natural gas needed to produce fertilizers and a significant share of critical agricultural materials. Torero, in particular, emphasized that delays in the supply of fertilizers could disrupt planting cycles and reduce yields, which will inevitably lead to a jump in food prices in the coming months. While food prices have remained relatively stable for now thanks to supplies and recent harvests, that may soon change.
“If ship traffic does not recover soon,” the expert noted, “we will be faced with falling yields, rising food prices and accelerating global inflation in the coming months.”
Tragedy in Lebanon: death of a medic during a humanitarian operation
UN Coordinator in Lebanon Imran Riza expressed deep condolences over the death of a Lebanese Red Cross employee. The incident occurred on Sunday during a humanitarian operation in the south of the country.
Riza emphasized that he was deeply shocked by what happened, and once again reminded that rescuers and doctors must be protected at all times. According to the Lebanese Red Cross, the humanitarian team came under direct fire from an Israeli drone while responding to a call in the area of Beit Yahun. As a result of the shelling, one medic was killed and another was injured.