Top UN official appeals for calm following pager explosions in Lebanon as tensions escalate

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, has called for calm following attacks across the country on Tuesday which killed at least nine people, including children, and left thousands injured – many critically.

The coordinated attacks reportedly targeted the Hezbollah group, with hundreds of electronic pagers belonging to its members blowing up at the same time, according to international media reports. Hezbollah has vowed to take revenge after blaming Israel for detonating pagers as tensions mounted.

“The developments today mark an extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context,” Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement.

In line with international law, she reminded all “concerned actors that civilians are not a target and must be protected at all times,” stressing that “even one civilian casualty is one too many.”

While the full impact of the attack is still unfolding, she urged all concerned “to refrain from any further action, or bellicose rhetoric, which could trigger a wider conflagration that nobody can afford.”

The Special Coordinator concluded her statement by underlining the urgency of restoring calm and called on all concerned actors to prioritize stability as paramount, because “too much is at stake to do anything less.”

Meanwhile, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) in Lebanon tweeted that it was assisting hospitals during “the current emergency” resulting from the pager detonations because of the surge in injuries seeking medical help.

“Alongside today’s health supplies, WHO previously provided trauma and other medical supplies” to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, to provide continued healthcare for those in need.