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STORY: UN / LACROIX MIDDLE EAST VISIT
TRT: 04:21
SOURCE: UNIFEED / UNDOF / UNIFIL
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 16 JANUARY 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN Headquarters
16 JANUARY 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press room dais, Jean-Pierre Lacroix on screen
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“Until 31 December 2026, UNIFIL will continue to support Lebanese Armed Forces, will continue to deliver on its mandate. So, there is no pre-drawdown mandate. We want to do our best and our colleagues in UNIFIL want to support as best as they can the further progress in the implementation of resolution 1701.”
5. Wide shot, press room dais
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“The number of aggressive incidents or hostile incidents or at least incidents that have been really putting our colleagues in danger coming from the Israel Defence Forces, the frequency of these incidents has been quite high, has been increasing. And, of course, when meeting with the Israeli counterparts, I indicated to them that this was extremely concerning, that a number of these incidents could have been, could have had very tragic consequences on our peacekeepers. And I called upon them to do what it takes to avoid, these incidents moving forward.”
7. Wide shot, press room dais, Lacroix on screen
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“Our colleagues from, UNDOF and OGG, that is the observers, the military observers operate under a context that has changed dramatically since the Israel Defence Forces entered in the area of separation, where there can be only UNDOF as a military presence, and there are currently ten positions from the IDF in that area, the so-called area of separation. And that is of course creating a different environment, which of course the impact of which we are trying to mitigate.”
9. Wide shot, press room dais, Lacroix on screen
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“UNDOF’s mandate is based on the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Syria and Israel. And of course, the, what we would want is a return to the situation where, you know, that agreement is fully implemented. That is to say, where UNDOF would be the only military presence in the area of separation and the other provisions of that agreement would be fully respected.”
11. Wide shot, end of briefing
UNDOF - 10 JANUARY 2026, CAMP FAOUAR - UNDOF HEADQUARTERS, QUNEITRA GOVERNORATE, SYRIA
12. Various shots, Lacroix shakes hands with UNDOF Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Anita Asmah
UNDOF - 10 JANUARY 2026, QUNEITRA CITY, GOLAN HEIGHTS, SYRIA
13. Tracking shot, UN cars moving
14. Various shots, Lacroix arrival at community centre
15. Wide shot, Lacroix and Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations Ibrahim Olabi settle at community centre dais
16. Various shots, community members listen to the speakers
17. Med shot, dais
18. Various shots, community members addressing panel
19. Med shot, dais
20, Wide shot, Olabi and Lacroix shaking hands with community members and leaders as they leave the centre
UNDOF - 10 JANUARY 2026, OBSERVATION POST 56, UNDOF POSITION, GOLAN HEIGHTS, SYRIA
21. Various shots, UN cars and escort on the way to Observation Post 56
22. Wide shot, Lacroix greeting Kazakh contingent upon arrival
23. Various shots, Lacroix and Permanent Representative of Syria climb up to the observation tower
24. Med shot, Lacroix and Permanent Representative of Syria are briefed by UNTSO staff in the tower
25. Wide shot, tower
UNIFIL - 06 JANUARY 2026, UNIFIL AREA OF OPERATION AND SECTOR EAST
26. Wide shot, Lacroix arrival by helicopter at UN Position (UNP) 7-2 UNIFIL Spanish Camp in Sector East
27. Various shots, Lacroix greeted upon arrival
28. Various shots, UNIFIL peacekeeper briefing Lacroix
29. Wide shot, the convoy leaving the OP MAR position
26. Tracking shot, destruction in Kafar Kela village in Sector East
After visiting the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Lebanon and Syria, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix today (16 Jan) told journalists in New York that “a number of aggressive incidents” have been putting peacekeepers “in danger coming from the Israel Defence Forces.”
Briefing remotely from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Lacroix said, “until 31 December 2026, UNIFIL will continue to support Lebanese Armed Forces, will continue to deliver on its mandate. So, there is no pre-drawdown mandate. We want to do our best and our colleagues in UNIFIL want to support as best as they can the further progress in the implementation of resolution 1701.”
UNIFIL's mandate was granted a final extension until the end of the year by the Security Council.
The peacekeeping Chief said, “the number of aggressive incidents or hostile incidents or at least incidents that have been really putting our colleagues in danger coming from the Israel Defence Forces, the frequency of these incidents has been quite high, has been increasing.”
He said, “when meeting with the Israeli counterparts, I indicated to them that this was extremely concerning, that a number of these incidents could have been, could have had very tragic consequences on our peacekeepers. And I called upon them to do what it takes to avoid, these incidents moving forward.”
Regarding UNDOF, Lacroix said, “the military observers operate under a context that has changed dramatically since the Israel Defence Forces entered in the area of separation, where there can be only UNDOF as a military presence, and there are currently ten positions from the IDF in that area, the so-called area of separation. And that is of course creating a different environment, which of course the impact of which we are trying to mitigate.”
He stressed that “UNDOF’s mandate is based on the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Syria and Israel. And of course, the, what we would want is a return to the situation where, you know, that agreement is fully implemented. That is to say, where UNDOF would be the only military presence in the area of separation and the other provisions of that agreement would be fully respected.”
Lacroix Middle East trip included visits o UN peacekeeping in Lebanon and Syria, as well as Jordan and is currently in Jeddah discussing regional stability and UN peacekeeping roles amidst ongoing tensions, particularly concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict.
