Pakistan condemns Israeli attacks on Lebanon at UN Security Council meeting

Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Security Council, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemning Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.

Speaking at an emergency council meeting regarding the situation in Lebanon, Jadoon said Lebanon was a country of “extraordinary diversity,” shaped by “layers of civilizations and a rich cultural and historical heritage.”

“The Lebanese people have always demonstrated remarkable resilience and maintained a vibrant social fabric based on coexistence between diverse communities and traditions,” he said.

He said Lebanon needed a period of calm to achieve its goals of peace and stability, warning that the resumption of hostilities posed a serious risk.

He told the Council that recent tensions and renewed clashes not only threaten infrastructure, but also put civilian lives at risk and risk reversing the fragile political and security progress that Lebanon had begun to make before the current crisis.

“Pakistan strongly condemns Israel’s continued military aggression in southern Lebanon,” he said, adding that the attacks had resulted in the deaths of more than 400 civilians, including at least 83 children and 42 women, while more than 600,000 people had been displaced.

AFP reported that, according to the United Nations, Israeli airstrikes and evacuation orders forced nearly 700,000 people to flee their homes in Lebanon in just over a week.

Karolina Lindholm Billing, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, said the latest escalation forced families to flee their homes minutes after Israeli airstrikes and evacuation warnings issued to residents of dozens of villages.

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“More than 667,000 people in Lebanon have now registered on the government’s online platform as displaced,” she said, noting that the figure had increased by more than 100,000 in a single day.

Lebanese authorities said Monday that Israeli attacks since March 2 have left at least 486 people dead and at least 1,313 injured.

The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said 84 of those killed were children.

“The large-scale destruction of civilian infrastructure and blatant violations of international humanitarian law must stop immediately,” the Pakistani diplomat said.

He stressed that the use of force in Lebanon should remain the prerogative of the Lebanese state through its legitimate constitutional institutions. “The Lebanese Armed Forces play a central role in this regard, and Pakistan supports efforts to strengthen their capabilities and operational effectiveness,” Jadoon said.

The Pakistani envoy also condemned attacks on United Nations peacekeepers serving as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

He said Pakistan strongly condemns attacks on UN peacekeepers serving under the UN flag, including those injured in Israeli strikes. He added that the safety and security of peacekeepers must be ensured at all times.

Jadoon further described Israeli military activities in southern Lebanon, including the continued presence of forces and the establishment of positions inside Lebanese territory, as “illegal and unacceptable.”

Learn more: Lebanon says Israeli attacks have killed nearly 300 people since Monday

“We call on Israel to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw from all occupied Lebanese territories,” he said.

He stressed that lasting peace requires the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 and respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity along the Blue Line.

Jadoon also warned that the situation in Lebanon could not be separated from broader tensions in the Middle East. “At this delicate moment, negotiation and diplomacy must take precedence over confrontation,” he said. “De-escalation, restraint and renewed diplomatic engagement are urgently needed. »

Concluding his speech, the Pakistani envoy said Islamabad stood firmly with the Lebanese government and people.

“The international community must act urgently to prevent further escalation, alleviate human suffering and support Lebanon’s efforts to restore peace and stability on its territory,” he added.

Despite a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah since November 2024, Israel continues its almost daily violations which have left hundreds of dead and injured.

Israel killed more than 4,000 people and injured 17,000 during an offensive in Lebanon that began in October 2023 and escalated into full-scale war in September 2024.

Lebanon was drawn into the broader Middle East war on Monday when Hezbollah fired on Israel, which responded with a new military campaign that killed nearly 300 people and forced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese from their homes.

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In the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah, buildings lay under piles of smoking rubble and twisted metal, Reuters pictures were shown.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a separate statement that the Lebanese government and all of Lebanon would “pay a heavy price” if Hezbollah was not disarmed. Israel has no territorial claims against Lebanon but will not authorize cross-border shooting, Katz said.

The Lebanese government last year asked the army to establish a state arms monopoly. Troops have confiscated Hezbollah weapons in parts of the south, but senior Lebanese officials and security sources said continuing the plan could cause internal tensions as the group has refused to give up all of its arsenals.

An Israeli military official said Reuters Israeli military operations now aim “to eliminate the threat from Lebanon.”

Overnight, Israeli helicopters dropped troops near Nabi Chit in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley.

The Israeli military said troops had staged the operation to search for the remains of Ron Arad, an Israeli Air Force navigator missing in Lebanon since 1986, but no finds relating to him were found.