UNITED NATIONS, Sep 18 : The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, has called for calm following attacks across the country on Tuesday which killed at least nine people, including children, and left thousands injured \u2013 many critically.<\/p>\n
The coordinated attacks reportedly targeted the Hezbollah group, with hundreds of electronic pagers belonging to its members blowing up at the same time, according to international media reports. Hezbollah has vowed to take revenge after blaming Israel for detonating pagers as tensions mounted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe developments today mark an extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context,\u201d Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement.<\/p>\n
In line with international law, she reminded all \u201cconcerned actors that civilians are not a target and must be protected at all times,\u201d stressing that \u201ceven one civilian casualty is one too many.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the full impact of the attack is still unfolding, she urged all concerned \u201cto refrain from any further action, or bellicose rhetoric, which could trigger a wider conflagration that nobody can afford.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Special Coordinator concluded her statement by underlining the urgency of restoring calm and called on all concerned actors to prioritize stability as paramount, because \u201ctoo much is at stake to do anything less.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) in Lebanon tweeted that it was assisting hospitals during \u201cthe current emergency\u201d resulting from the pager detonations because of the surge in injuries seeking medical help.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlongside today\u2019s health supplies, WHO previously provided trauma and other medical supplies\u201d to Lebanon\u2019s Ministry of Public Health, to provide continued healthcare for those in need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 18 : The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, has called for calm following attacks across the country on Tuesday which killed at least nine people, including children, and left thousands injured \u2013 many critically. The coordinated attacks reportedly targeted the […]<\/p>\n
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