UN rights chief calls for diplomatic efforts to address Lebanon crisis
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Smoke billows over southern Lebanon, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, on Sept 24.
PHOTO: REUTERS
GENEVA – The United Nations human rights chief on Sept 24 called on anyone with influence in the Middle East or elsewhere to seek to avert any further escalation in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, voicing alarm at the sharp escalation.
Israel's military said on Sept 24 it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon overnight, a day after it launched a wave of air strikes against the Iran-backed group's sites in Lebanon's deadliest day in decades. Nearly 500 people have been killed and tens of thousands have fled from areas of southern Lebanon.
“UN High Commissioner Volker Turk calls on all states and actors with influence in the region and beyond to avert further escalation and do everything they can to ensure full respect for international law,” Ms Ravina Shamdasani, the spokeswoman for Mr Turk said at a Geneva press briefing.
“The methods and means of warfare that are being used raises very serious concerns about whether this is compliant with international humanitarian law.”
Asked about reports that Israel had warned people through phone messages ahead of the strikes, she said: “Whether you’ve sent out a warning you’re telling civilians to flee, doesn’t make it okay to then strike those areas, knowing full well that the impact on civilians will be huge...”
At the same press briefing, Mr Abdinasir Abubakar, a WHO official in Lebanon, said that some hospitals in the country were “overwhelmed” by the thousands of wounded people arriving. Four healthcare workers had been killed on Sept 23, he added.
“We have some evidence, and we have some documentation that shows that at least there were some attacks on health facilities, even the ambulances as well,” he told the briefing, condemning the impact on Lebanon’s fragile health sector.
The UN refugee agency's spokesman, Mr Matthew Saltmarsh, said more people are expected to flee their homes and that the agency is seeking to identify new shelters for displaced people around Beirut and the Bekaa valley.
“We’re looking at tens of thousands (of displaced), but we expect that those figures will start to rise,” he said. “The situation is extremely alarming. It’s very chaotic, and we are doing what we can to support government.” REUTERS
