UNSC meets for emergency session, says 'Lebanon on brink of catastrophe'

The United Nations Security Council met in an emergency session on Friday following Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut and in the south, which have left at least a dozen dead.

The meeting came amid an uptick in cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces - and two days of deadly wireless device explosions targeting members of the militant group.

Notably, the Israeli military carried out an airstrike in southern Beirut on Friday, killing senior Hezbollah military figure Ibrahim Aqil, CNN reported.

The military said Aqil was part of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force. The strike caused significant damage in the Jamous area of Beirut's southern suburbs, collapsing at least two residential buildings.

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric warned the region now stands "on the brink of a catastrophe."

Meanwhile, Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed his disappointment over the recent pager explosions in Lebanon. He said, "I am appalled by the breadth and impact of the attacks on September 17-18 in Lebanon on civilians, where the explosion of pagers, two-way radios, and other electronic devices have reportedly killed at least 37 people, including two children, and injured more than 3,400 people in Lebanon alone, leaving many with permanent disabilities and healthcare facilities struggling to cope with the magnitude of the impact on people."

He added, "These attacks represent a new development in warfare, where communication tools become weapons, simultaneously exploding across marketplaces, on street corners, and in homes as daily life unfolds. Authorities have reportedly dismantled unexploded devices in universities, banks, and hospitals."

Turk further said that the recent attacks have sent shockwaves throughout Lebanon, aggravating the panic that people have already been facing since October 2023. He said, "This has unleashed widespread fear, panic, and horror among people in Lebanon, already suffering in an increasingly volatile situation since October 2023 and crumbling under a severe and longstanding economic crisis. This cannot be the new normal."

Quite recently, walkie-talkies and pager explosions in Lebanon resulted in devastating consequences.

In the latest attacks on Wednesday, at least 20 people lost their lives and over 450 were injured in Lebanon, authorities said, according to a report by Al Jazeera. The latest attack came just a day after 12 people were killed and more than 2800 others were wounded in a coordinated explosion of pagers in Lebanon.