Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati meets with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka on May 22, 2023. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra Photography)
BEIRUT — United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka said on Tuesday that there is still a chance for diplomacy to prevent a widening of the conflict amid ongoing fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
“With prevention and de-escalation at the top of our agenda, our collective focus, advocacy, and pressure must be foremost on urging the parties to restore the cessation of hostilities,” Wronecka told the UN Securty Council, during a briefing on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701.
Resolution 1701, which facilitated the end of the war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, called for the full cessation of hostilities, the deployment of the Lebanese Army to southern Lebanon, the parallel withdrawal of Israeli forces behind the Blue Line, strengthening the UN force (UNIFIL) to accompany the Lebanese Army, and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River.
Wronecka said the current situation puts in focus the dangers that the incomplete implementation of Resolution 1701 poses to Lebanon, Israel, and the stability of the region at large. “It is no longer enough to return to the relative calm and stability that prevailed before Oct. 8. A political process, anchored in the full implementation of Resolution 1701, to address the root causes of the conflict and ensure long-term stability has become necessary,” she said.
Following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Hezbollah initiated attacks on Israel in support of its ally Hamas. This has led to near-daily exchange of fire between the two sides, with over 300 casualties in Lebanon, 52 of which are civilians.
Wronecka underscored the critical role of an empowered and well-resourced Lebanese Armed Forces to the full implementation of Resolution 1701, including its cooperation with UNIFIL.
The Special Coordinator said the unity of the Security Council behind the efforts to maintain Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political stability was also critical.
The UN Security Council was also briefed by United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix. The council met in closed consultations to discuss the latest report of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the implementation of the resolution.