UN delegation reaffirms support for Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity

A visiting United Nations delegation concluded its trip to Lebanon on Saturday, reaffirming UN support for the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Against the backdrop of heightened security tensions between Lebanon and Israel, the UN delegation conducted visits to Lebanon and Syria on Friday and Saturday. The mission focused on assessing the security situation in southern Lebanon, reviewing the operations of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and evaluating Lebanon's adherence to relevant Security Council resolutions and ceasefire agreements.

Concluding the visit, Samuel Zbogar, Slovenia's permanent UN representative and Security Council president for December, held a press conference during which he reaffirmed the Council's commitment to the full implementation of Resolution 1701.

"We reaffirmed council support for Lebanon's territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence. We also reaffirmed commitment to full implementation of Resolution 1701 in support of Lebanon's as well as regional security and stability. All parties must uphold the November 2024 cessation of hostilities agreement," said Zbogar.

The delegation also received a detailed briefing on the challenges currently facing the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). In light of the ongoing regional tensions and Israel's continued military actions in Lebanon, Zbogar stressed the critical importance of maintaining stability both in Lebanon and across the wider region, while also acknowledging the diligent efforts of UNIFIL.

Since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023, Lebanon's Hezbollah has intermittently launched attacks on northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas' engagement with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. In response, the Israeli military has conducted retaliatory airstrikes and artillery bombardments on targets in southern Lebanon.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been in place since November 2024, but Israel has continued to conduct near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon, saying it targets Hezbollah activity.

UN delegation reaffirms support for Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity

UN delegation reaffirms support for Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity

UN delegation reaffirms support for Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity

A group of demonstrators gathered in Bulgaria's capital Sofia on Monday to protest against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

The protesters rallied with signs reading "Do not engage war in Iran" and "We do not welcome U.S. military aircraft", to show solidarity with Iran.

"No one has the right to launch an attack on a sovereign country or interfere in its decisions," said Kostadin Kostadinov, chairman of the Bulgarian Revival party, while delivering a speech at the rally.

"The U.S. military equipment should not be brought to Bulgarian territory and the territory cannot be used in any form for military operation against Iran. We demand the U.S. military planes to immediately leave Bulgarian territory. This is not our war. The Iranian people are not our enemy. Iran is not our enemy," Petar Nikolaev Petrov, deputy chairman of the Bulgarian Revival party, said in his speech.

Several U.S. military planes have been deployed at Sofia Airport in recent days, though the Bulgarian government denied that they were linked to U.S. military operations.

The U.S. and Israel on Saturday launched strikes against Iran, plunging the war-torn Middle East into a new round of violence. Iran has retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israel and U.S. targets across the region.

Protesters rally in Bulgaria against US-Israeli strikes on Iran