Lebanon: peacekeepers highlight Israeli incursions across Blue Line

Deadly violence has erupted once again across Lebanon and Israel, following the bombing of Iran by Israeli and US forces.Mass displacement in Lebanon has resulted, as thousands of people in Beirut and elsewhere flee airstrikes targeting Hezbollah militants, according to the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (UNIFIL). Speaking from southern Lebanon, UNIFIL’s Tilak Pokharel said families, including women and children, have been leaving the area in large numbers since hostilities intensified last weekend. Videos posted on social media showed heavily congested roads as residents attempted to escape airstrikes and ongoing military activity.UN peacekeepers have been assisting civilians who were unable to leave conflict-affected areas, transporting them to locations they consider safer, and facilitating humanitarian access, including supporting requests from the Lebanese Red Cross to reach injured people and displaced populations. While warning that the situation remains “very fragile”, Mr. Pokharel told UN News’s Nancy Sarkis that the escalation risks “spiralling out of control”, unless the parties halt the fighting.