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STORY: UN / MIDDLE EAST LEBANON
TRT: 05:02
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 20 SEPTEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters
20 SEPTEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“The risk to security and stability, not only in Lebanon but also in the region, could not be clearer or graver. The Secretary-General has already expressed his deep alarm over these events. I echo his sentiments and strongly urge all actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation. They must abide by their obligations under international law concerning the protection of civilians. I also strongly urge Member States with influence over the parties to leverage it now.”
5. Med shot, Lebanon, Iran and Syria representatives
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“If things continue as they are, we risk seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far. It is not too late to avoid such folly. There is still room for diplomacy, which must be used without delay.”
7. Wide shot, High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk speaking
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“I am appalled by the breadth and impact of the attacks on 17 and 18 September in Lebanon on civilians.”
9. Wide shot, Council
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“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. This has unleashed widespread fear, panic, and horror among people in Lebanon.”
11. Wide shot, Council
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations:
“Continuing on this path of inflamed war rhetoric on all sides and reckless, military escalation only leads to further devastation. I urge Israel and Hezbollah to cease hostilities immediately. The spectre of this region’s past – the unending cycles of conflict, the human rights grievances and causes of which have been ignored and trampled on – is palpable and omnipresent. The complexity of this moment – and the stakes for people everywhere - demand much more from the international community, to achieve an enduring peace.”
13. Wide shot, Lebanon Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib addressing Council
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdallah Bou Habib, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Lebanon:
“Isn't this terrorism? When you target a whole population in their cities, streets, markets, shops, homes, while they tend to their daily life while they are not fighting on the front, how do you understand what happened? it is enough to look into the identity of the victims. Are we seeking today the annihilation of the Lebanese people, and it is collective punishment. It is our right to ask, isn't this the scenario that was stated by senior Israeli officials? Look at the ugliness of what has happened in this picture. I apologize for this picture.”
15. Wide shot, Council
16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdallah Bou Habib, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Lebanon:
“These attacks represent a serious, unprecedented event in the history of wars, and they come in the aftermath of Israeli declarations concerning a full scale war on Lebanon, sending Lebanon back to the Stone Age.”
17. Med shot, Danon addressing Council
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Danon, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Israel:
“The goal of returning our displaced citizens has been formally included in the objectives of this war. We will do whatever it takes to achieve this, and we will not allow Hezbollah's terror to dictate the future of our nation. If Hezbollah does not retreat from our border and back to the north of the Litani River through diplomatic efforts, Israel will be left with no choice but to use any means within our rights to defend our citizens.”
19. Med shot, Bou Habib
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Danon, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Israel:
“Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, Your Excellency, you have allowed a terrorist organization to create a state within your state, bringing ruin to your own people. Instead of blaming us, your peaceful neighbours, you should take action now to restrain Hezbollah and avoid greater escalation.”
21. Zoom out, end of Council session
Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today (20 Sep) told the Security Council that the attacks on 17 and 18 September in Lebanon on civilians, where the explosion of pagers, two-way radios, and other electronic devices killed killed and injured scores, “represent a new development in warfare” and have “unleashed widespread fear, panic, and horror among people in Lebanon.”
The Council meeting was called by Algeria following a request from Lebanon after the of attacks.
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told the Council that “the risk to security and stability, not only in Lebanon but also in the region, could not be clearer or graver, “ and “strongly” urged all actors “to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation.”
DiCarlo said, “if things continue as they are, we risk seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far. It is not too late to avoid such folly. There is still room for diplomacy, which must be used without delay.”
Türk said he was “appalled by the breadth and impact of the attacks” on civilians.
He said, “communication tools become weapons, simultaneously exploding across marketplaces, on street corners, and in homes as daily life unfolds” and noted that authorities “have reportedly dismantled unexploded devices in universities, banks, and hospitals.”
The High Commissioner said, “continuing on this path of inflamed war rhetoric on all sides and reckless, military escalation only leads to further devastation,” and urged both Israel and Hezbollah “to cease hostilities immediately.”
He said, “the complexity of this moment – and the stakes for people everywhere - demand much more from the international community, to achieve an enduring peace.”
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib asked the Council, “isn't this terrorism? When you target a whole population in their cities, streets, markets, shops, homes, while they tend to their daily life while they are not fighting on the front, how do you understand what happened?”
Showing a photo of a maimed, bloody hand, Bou Habib said, “look at the ugliness of what has happened in this picture. I apologize for this picture.”
The Foreign Minister said, “these attacks represent a serious, unprecedented event in the history of wars, and they come in the aftermath of Israeli declarations concerning a full-scale war on Lebanon, sending Lebanon back to the Stone Age.”
For his part, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said Israel “will do whatever it takes” to allow displaced Israeli citizens to return to their homes.
Danon said, “we will not allow Hezbollah's terror to dictate the future of our nation. If Hezbollah does not retreat from our border and back to the north of the Litani River through diplomatic efforts, Israel will be left with no choice but to use any means within our rights to defend our citizens.”
Addressing Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, he said, “Your Excellency, you have allowed a terrorist organization to create a state within your state, bringing ruin to your own people. Instead of blaming us, your peaceful neighbours, you should take action now to restrain Hezbollah and avoid greater escalation.”
The attacks reportedly killed at least 37 people, including two children, and injured more than 3,400 people in Lebanon alone, leaving many with permanent disabilities.
