UN secretary-general spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday urged an immediate de-escalation of the situation between Hezbollah and Israel, citing the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Lebanon due to escalating hostilities between the two parties.
Dujarric said that more than 1 million displaced individuals, including nearly 370,000 children, have been registered in Lebanon. According to UN humanitarian agencies operating in the field, multiple areas across Lebanon continue to be attacked, with the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut being hit again overnight by airstrikes.
Over the past week, at least seven key crossing points over the Litani River in southern Lebanon have been attacked, restricting both the movement of people and the delivery of humanitarian aid to those fleeing the conflict. The UN and its partners continue to provide food, shelter, medical care, and protection support to affected families, Dujarric noted.
"We reiterate that there is simply no military solution to the conflict and continue to call for de-escalation and urge all sides to avail themselves of the diplomatic channels available to them and to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701," he said.
Resolution 1701 is a ceasefire arrangement adopted after the 2006 Lebanon War. It aims to end hostilities and promote security in southern Lebanon through joint efforts by the Lebanese Armed Forces and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Dujarric said the ongoing tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border continue to spill over, placing greater pressure on Lebanese civilians and humanitarian operations. UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert is pursuing dialogue through various channels in an effort to de-escalate the situation.
The UN is concerned by both the hostile language and continued military actions by the parties involved, Dujarric said, stressing that Lebanon's territorial integrity and the Lebanese government's authority over the use of force and weapons nationwide must be respected.
UN urges immediate de-escalation between Hezbollah, Israel
Thousands of Japanese citizens gathered outside the National Diet building on Wednesday evening to protest the government's push to revise the nation's pacifist constitution and expand its military capabilities, demanding that authorities refocus resources on improving people's livelihoods. The demonstrators voiced strong opposition to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's efforts to amend Article 9, the constitutional clause that places Japan within a peaceful institutional framework through the ironclad provisions of a permanent renunciation of war and the maintenance of no regular military forces.
"I deeply oppose war. I hope we can all live together in peace. That's why I oppose any revision of Article 9 of the Constitution," said a protester.
"The Takaichi administration is fixated on military expansion, but there are so many other things the government should be doing. People's lives are already so difficult. It makes me angry. It's absolutely intolerable that the Liberal Democratic Party wants to revise the constitution. They have their hands dirty with 'black money', tax evasion and other issues, yet they still want to touch the constitution with the same dirty hands. That can't be tolerated," said another.
The Japanese government has been continuously pushing for an increase in defense expenditures and has deployed long-range missiles in regions such as Kyushu, the third-largest and the southernmost of Japan's four main islands.
Many expressed anxiety that Japan is drifting toward a more militarized posture.
"The Japanese government is continuously increasing its support for the military-industrial complex. In the future, Japan might end up becoming like the United States. That gives me a sense of crisis," a third protester said.
"The continuous increase in defense spending frightens me. I hope these money could instead be directed toward improving our daily lives and healthcare," said another.
Regarding the intrusion of an active-duty officer of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday, the protesters condemned the act as a result of a broader rise in far-right and exclusionist rhetoric in Japanese politics.
They urged the government to promptly address the incident and hold the intruder accountable.
"This was tantamount to a terrorist attack. I believe Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi should immediately step down and resign. Moreover, there is absolutely no benefit in antagonizing a neighbor like China. Japan should acknowledge its mistake and apologize. Fundamentally speaking, I feel that there is currently a far-right, strongly exclusionist atmosphere spreading in Japan," another protester said.
Thousands rally in Tokyo against constitutional revision, military buildup
