Lebanon cannot be another Gaza, a UN spokesman said on Thursday, citing concerns over unprecedented level of destruction in southern Lebanon.
The UN condemns the Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese town of al-Tiri on Wednesday, which killed a Lebanese journalist, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at a daily press briefing.
The Secretary-General calls for a prompt and impartial investigation into this killing, Dujarric said.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Special Rapporteur on Housing Balakrishnan Rajagopal has warned in an interview in Geneva that "Israel's planned attacks on southern Lebanon in 2026 differs significantly from the past attacks, because their tactics are very similar to campaign in Gaza".
In March, Israeli defense minister said that they would demolish houses in Lebanon with Gaza style.
"We're seeing unprecedented level of destruction. I think the Secretary-General has been very clear in speaking to a number of places that southern Lebanon, Lebanon cannot be another Gaza," Dujarric said when asked if the Secretary-General is concerned that southern Lebanon may turn out to be like the Gaza Strip.
The UN spokesman also called for stronger international support for Lebanon.
Lebanon cannot be another Gaza: UN spokesman
The surge in fuel prices triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has squeezed fishermen's profits in Spain, putting thousands of fishing industry jobs in peril.
The war in Iran has been raging since February 28, disrupting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of the world's oil traverses, causing oil prices to increase.
In Spain, some fishermen are now questioning the future of their business amid skyrocketing diesel costs. Lucas Ramis, who recently invested in a new boat, said the high price of fuel is putting his livelihood at risk.
Spain is the world's largest octopus market, consuming as much as 85,000 tons annually. Despite this vast market, Ramis said they sometimes haul in as little as 10 kilograms of octopus, which is barely enough to cover the cost of starting the engines.
"Today, going out to work costs more than the work itself," said Ramis.
"Many people moor their boats on the shore, while people like us have to go out to work," he added.
The Spanish government announced a six-billion U.S. dollar aid package in March to alleviate the effects of the fuel crisis resulting from the Iran war, including around 30 million dollars for the fishing industry.
However, continuing volatility means prices could stay high and some say the subsidies sometimes don't reach their targets.
"The fuel price has seen a real rise of over 80 percent. We are drowning in taxes and rising costs, and we need this government help now. Some of the aid is actually loans, but no one will take out loans now with this instability and how indebted this industry already is. You don't see much happiness around here," said Domingo Bonin Bautista, president of Balearic Fishery Workers' Association.
Soaring fuel costs from Iran war squeeze fishermen's profits in Spain
