Lebanon Violence Spikes, UN Demands Restraint

(MENAFN) The United Nations issued an urgent call for "maximum restraint" Tuesday as its peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon recorded nearly 500 projectile trajectories in a single afternoon, exposing the fragility of a ceasefire that has repeatedly failed to hold.

"Despite ongoing de-escalation efforts, our UNIFIL colleagues in the south continue to observe intense air activity and exchange of fire across the Blue Line and within UNIFIL's own area of operations, as stressed during the Emergency Security Council session yesterday," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

"We call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and fully adhere to the cessation of hostilities that was agreed to," he said.

Dujarric disclosed that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) logged 478 projectile trajectories between midnight and 4 p.m. local time alone — 468 attributed to Israeli forces and 10 to Hezbollah. The mission further documented nine Israeli airstrikes and 46 violations of Lebanese airspace within the same window.

Those figures follow an even more intense barrage the previous day, when UNIFIL recorded 702 projectile trajectories alongside 47 launches from Hezbollah. "The escalation in southern Lebanon has included a high volume of artillery, mortar, and rocket fire," said Dujarric, adding that 702 firing incidents were recorded from Israeli forces' positions south of the Blue Line and within its area of operations on Sunday. Peacekeepers reported strikes across both sectors of their operational zone, including hits on road networks.

Two separate incidents involving UN peacekeepers were also flagged, though Dujarric confirmed no personnel were injured, as staff had taken shelter in advance.

When pressed on whether the presence of Israeli troops inside Lebanese territory constitutes occupation, Dujarric declined to apply that label while acknowledging the undeniable reality on the ground.

"Look, there are clearly Israeli troops in Lebanon, and that's a fact that the Israelis themselves admit," he said.

The spokesperson closed with a broad appeal for compliance with existing frameworks and a return to calm. "The point is that there are agreements, they need to be respected. We want to see the guns silenced. We want to see the population of South Lebanon being able to return to their homes in peace and security. We want to see the people in northern Israel being able to return to their homes in peace and security," he said.

Israel has continued its military operations in Lebanon in breach of a US-brokered ceasefire that came into force on April 17 and was subsequently extended through early July. According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, at least 3,468 people have been killed and 10,577 injured in Israeli strikes since March 2, with more than one million displaced and widespread destruction reported across civilian infrastructure — including schools, healthcare facilities, mosques and churches.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump indicated that Israeli forces would not advance on Beirut, following a direct call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even as Israel had recently ordered its military to broaden its offensive across the country.

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