UN Calls for Immediate De-escalation Amid Escalating Israel-Hezbollah Conflict

The U.N. human rights chief urges influential parties to prevent further escalation in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. With nearly 500 casualties and tens of thousands displaced, the U.N. emphasizes compliance with international law. The WHO highlights Lebanon's overwhelmed hospitals, while the U.N. refugee agency prepares for increasing displacements.

The U.N. human rights chief on Tuesday urged influential parties in the Middle East and beyond to prevent further escalation in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, expressing alarm over the intensified hostilities.

On Tuesday, Israel's military announced it had struck multiple Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon overnight, following a series of airstrikes on Monday that resulted in Lebanon's highest death toll in decades. Nearly 500 people have been killed, and tens of thousands have fled southern Lebanon.

U.N. High Commissioner Volker Türk urged all states and actors with influence to avert further escalation and enforce international law. Ravina Shamdasani, Türk's spokesperson, expressed serious concerns about the compliance of current warfare methods with international humanitarian law. Addressing reports of Israel warning civilians via phone messages ahead of the strikes, she emphasized that such warnings do not justify the resultant civilian harm.

At the same briefing, Abdinasir Abubakar, a WHO official in Lebanon, reported that hospitals are overwhelmed due to the influx of wounded individuals. He also highlighted documented attacks on health facilities and ambulances. Meanwhile, Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency, anticipated a rise in displacements, with efforts underway to establish new shelters around Beirut and the Bekaa valley.

(With inputs from agencies.)