Lebanon files complaint with UN over Israeli attacks on UNIFIL

3^min

The Permanent Mission of Lebanon to the United Nations in New York, based on instructions from caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, submitted a formal complaint to both U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and the U.N. Security Council in response to repeated Israeli assaults targeting UNIFIL positions in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon emphasized that "Israeli attacks on UNIFIL represent a serious precedent and a blatant violation of international law and Resolution 1701. This underscores Israel's ongoing attempts to undermine UNIFIL's mission and its disregard for international legitimacy, as well as its non-compliance with international and humanitarian law."

In the complaint, Lebanon called for "a firm and resolute stance against these assaults, which amount to war crimes," emphasizing the need to hold Israel accountable for these violations and deter further occurrences from preventing casualties among UNIFIL forces and ensuring the peacekeepers' ability to fulfill their mandated obligations.

Additionally, based on Minister Bou Habib's instructions and in coordination with caretaker Minister of Education Abbas Halabi, Lebanon filed a second complaint to the U.N. Security Council regarding the effects and repercussions of Israeli aggression on the educational sector in Lebanon.

In the complaint, Lebanon provided data and figures on the number of displaced students and teachers in both public and private education sectors across various educational levels.

It also detailed the number of schools, universities, and educational buildings that have ceased their primary functions and have been converted into shelters for displaced individuals in different Lebanese regions.

Lebanon urged the Security Council's member states to "take urgent and effective action to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against its territory, which has deprived approximately 1.4 million students of their basic right to education, threatening the future of entire generations and negatively impacting their mental well-being, in addition to the long-term effects on their academic performance."

Lebanon also appealed to the international community to "act immediately to ensure the cessation of aggression and protect the right to education as a fundamental pillar for building a stable and secure future for the country."