The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert has called for calm following attacks across Lebanon on Tuesday which killed at least nine people, including children, and left thousands injured – many critically.
In line with international law, she reminded all “concerned actors that civilians are not a target and must be protected at all times,” stressing that “even one civilian casualty is one too many.” Tuesday’s developments “mark an extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context,” Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement.
While the full impact of the attack is still unfolding, she urged all concerned “to refrain from any further action, or bellicose rhetoric, which could trigger a wider conflagration that nobody can afford.” The Special Coordinator also underlined the urgency of restoring calm and called on all concerned actors to prioritize stability as paramount, because “too much is at stake to do anything less.” Lebanese Public Health Minister Fi
ras Abiad announced on Tuesday that eight people were killed and more than 2,800 others were injured, according to a preliminary count, due to the explosion of several pager devices across Lebanon.
The Lebanese government held Israel responsible for these explosions, describing them as an Israeli cyber attack.
Source: Qatar News Agency