Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam held a call with UN Secretary-General António Guterres following the ongoing Israeli statements and attacks in southern Lebanon.
During the call, Prime Minister Salam highlighted the repeated threats from the Israeli Defense Minister regarding Israel’s intention to occupy the area south of the Litani River, in addition to statements from the Israeli Finance Minister about plans to annex the area. He noted that Israel had blown up most of the bridges over the Litani River in an effort to separate this region from the rest of Lebanese territory.
He also detailed the mass displacement of residents in the cities and villages south of the Litani, along with daily land confiscations, demolition of homes, and in some cases complete leveling, indicating that civilians would not be allowed to return to their homes in the near future.
Prime Minister Salam emphasized that these actions and statements, under any pretext—whether called a “security belt” or a “buffer zone”—are extremely serious, threatening Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the rights of its citizens, and are in complete violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the UN Charter.
He further informed the Secretary-General that he requested the Minister of Foreign Affairs to submit an immediate complaint to the UN Security Council regarding this matter, urging the United Nations to fulfill its responsibilities in putting an end to these violations.
