PM Salam calls on UN to act against Israeli threats and attacks in southern Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam held a phone call with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres amid ongoing Israeli statements and attacks in southern Lebanon.

During the call, Salam highlighted repeated threats from the Israeli defense minister regarding plans to occupy the area south of the Litani River, along with statements from the Israeli finance minister about annexing the region. 

He noted that Israel has destroyed most of the bridges over the Litani River in an apparent effort to isolate the area from the rest of Lebanon.

Salam also detailed mass displacement of residents in southern towns and villages, daily encroachments on land, and the demolition or even complete leveling of homes, signaling that civilians may not be able to return in the near future.

He stressed that these actions and statements, whether under the pretext of a “security belt” or a “buffer zone,” pose a serious threat to Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and citizens’ rights, and violate both international law and the U.N. Charter.

Salam informed the secretary-general that he has asked the foreign minister to file an immediate complaint with the U.N. Security Council, urging the United Nations to take responsibility for halting these violations.