UNITED NATIONS, Oct 16 : Deadly Israeli airstrikes hit targets across Lebanon on Wednesday, prompting renewed condemnation from top UN negotiators and humanitarian officials, who warned that essential services in the south of the country are close to collapse.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, Israeli airstrikes hit the town of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, yet again\u2026 As the theatre and intensity of the exchanges of fire continue to expand, civilian suffering is reaching unprecedented heights,\u201d said UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert in a statement.<\/p>\n
Five people were killed in the attack and there are reports that the Mayor or Nabatieh was among the dead, along with a humanitarian first responder, the senior UN official added.<\/p>\n
\u201cMilitary solutions will not and cannot bring safety or security to either side of the Blue Line,\u201d Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert insisted, referring to the UN-patrolled line of separation between Lebanon and Israel where several peacekeepers have been injured in incidents involving the Israel Defense Forces in recent days.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is time for all concerned actors to immediately cease their fire and open the door to diplomatic solutions capable of realizing the needs of citizens and advancing regional stability,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Echoing those concerns, the UN\u2019s top aid official in Lebanon, Imran Riza, underscored how intensifying Israeli airstrikes in recent weeks has caused \u201cwidespread civilian casualties, mass displacement and extensive destruction across the country\u201d.<\/p>\n
The conflict has exposed healthcare and frontline workers to attack, Riza continued, along with civil defence centres and water supply systems. These have been pushed \u201cto the brink of collapse\u201d, he said. \u201cThis must stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a related development, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that Syrians who have been hosting an influx of people fleeing war in Lebanon are now at \u201cbreaking point\u201d.<\/p>\n
In an appeal for international support to address \u201cthe escalating humanitarian crisis in Syria\u201d linked to the war in Lebanon, WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau said that some 260,000 people have now crossed into Syria to escape bombing and Israeli military ground operations.<\/p>\n
Funding shortages earlier in the year forced the UN agency to cut assistance to the same families who are now helping those displaced from Lebanon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWFP is deeply concerned about worsening food security in Syria,\u201d Skau said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than half of the population in Syria is already facing food insecurity, with approximately three million people in the grip of severe hunger conditions. Syrians \u2013 who are struggling to cope themselves are stepping in to host families escaping violence in Lebanon, making a tough situation even more critical.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 16 : Deadly Israeli airstrikes hit targets across Lebanon on Wednesday, prompting renewed condemnation from top UN negotiators and humanitarian officials, who warned that essential services in the south of the country are close to collapse. \u201cToday, Israeli airstrikes hit the town […]<\/p>\n
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