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STORY: UN / LEBANON
TRT: 06:45
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 11 MARCH 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
11 MARCH 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo at the Council dais
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“Amid an already devastating escalation in the Middle East, the decision by Hizbullah to attack Israel on 2 March has again drawn Lebanon into a conflict it neither sought nor can afford.”
5. Med shot, Lebanese Ambassador Ahmad Arafa
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“Israel, in turn, has carried out extensive strikes in southern Beirut, across southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa and Baalbek regions. These operations have reportedly killed over 570 people and left over 1400 injured, according to the Lebanese government.”
7. Med shot, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs:
“Hizbullah must cease its attacks on Israel and cooperate with the government's efforts to assert full state authority and establish a monopoly over weapons. Israel must halt its military campaign in Lebanon and withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Lebanon and Israel must be upheld.”
9. Wide shot, Council, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on screen
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“Many rockets have been launched from south of the Litani River, which demonstrates the presence of unauthorised armed personnel, assets and weapons south of the Litani River, in clear violation of resolution 1701. The Israel Defence Forces have issued displacement orders for the entire UNIFIL area of operations and intensified daily strikes, impacting multiple locations in the UNIFIL area of operations, also in clear violation of resolution 1701.”
11 Wide shot, Council, Lacroix on screen
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“Our peacekeepers have remained in position in line with the mandate this council has provided, while continuously reassessing the force's posture against prevailing risk. UNIFIL continues to maintain constant contact with the parties to avoid misunderstandings, de-conflict and de-escalate where possible.”
13. Wide shot, Council, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher on screen
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
Coordinator:
“Our ability to reach people is tightening by the day. Large areas of south Lebanon, the Bekaa, and Beirut's southern suburbs remain active conflict zones. Debris and unexploded ordnance are blocking roads to affected villages and key transport routes, including those linking the Bekaa, have been repeatedly disrupted. Population movements are shifting quickly and increasingly difficult to track with.”
15. Wide shot, Council, Fletcher on screen
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
Coordinator:
“We're seeing staggering amounts of money, reportedly 1 billion dollars a day spent on destruction. While some politicians boast of cutting aid to those in grievous danger globally. With a fraction of this money, we can save millions of lives globally.”
17. Med shot, Arafa
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Waltz, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“The world must come together now in supporting Lebanon's efforts to exercise its sovereignty across every inch of Lebanese territory. The United States stands with the Lebanese people, who are dragged into yet another war by Hezbollah at the behest of Iran.”
19. Wide shot, Council,
20. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmad Arafa, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lebanon”
“We will not accept a return to the past. The Lebanese people do not want war, and the Lebanese government is moving forward and implementing its decisions and will not backtrack. However, our priority today is to stop this war, to protect our country and ensure the security and safety of our people. It is our right to live in peace and security in our homeland and our region.”
21. Wide shot, Council,
22. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmad Arafa, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lebanon”
“In support of the Lebanese government's efforts, this esteemed Council is called upon to compel Israel to implement resolution 1701; to respect the cessation of hostilities; to withdraw fully to internationally recognised borders; to end its repeated violations and breaches of Lebanese sovereignty; to release Lebanese detainees; to cease its threats to Lebanon's territorial integrity and political independence within its internationally recognised borders.”
23. Med shot, Waltz
24. Wide shot, Council
25. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Danon, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Israel:
“Since the 2nd of March, Hizbullah has launched wave after wave of attacks against Israel. More than 880 rockets and missiles; more than 60 UAVs; more than 15 anti-tank guided missiles. Hizbullah itself has been clear about why, and I quote, to avenge the death of Ayatollah Khomeini. Not to defend Lebanon, not to protect Lebanese citizens, but to serve the agenda of the Iranian regime.”
26. Wide shot, Council
27. Wide shot, Danon walks up to stakeout podium
28. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Danon, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Israel:
“There are only two options here. Either the Lebanese state acts to dismantle Hizbullah 's military in southern Lebanon or Israel will. The Lebanese government must mobilise its army and confront the terrorist threat Hizbullah poses, not only to Israel, but to the people of Lebanon. Believe me, Israel does not want to be operating inside Lebanon, but Israel will not accept rockets fired at our people, and we will do whatever is necessary to stop them.”
29. Wide shot, ambassadors at the stakeout podium
30. SOUNDBITE (English) Jérôme Bonnafont, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, France:
“We stand ready to increase our support to the Lebanese state's sovereignty and its armed forces, to ensure control of the territory and stabilise the country. We welcome the President's Aoun’s four points initiative, including the call for direct negotiations under international auspices. We urge Israel to abstain from attacks against civilian infrastructure and heavily populated areas, and to respect the Lebanese sovereignty and its territorial integrity. All parties must respect international law, including international humanitarian law, and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
31. Wide shot, ambassadors walk away
Addressing a Security Council meeting on the situation in Lebanon, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo today (11 Mar) said, “amid an already devastating escalation in the Middle East, the decision by Hizbullah to attack Israel on 2 March has again drawn Lebanon into a conflict it neither sought nor can afford.”
In turn, DiCarlo said, Israel “has carried out extensive strikes in southern Beirut, across southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa and Baalbek regions. These operations have reportedly killed over 570 people and left over 1,400 injured, according to the Lebanese government.”
She said, “Hizbullah must cease its attacks on Israel and cooperate with the government's efforts to assert full state authority and establish a monopoly over weapons,” while Israel “must halt its military campaign in Lebanon and withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory.”
DiCarlo stressed that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Lebanon and Israel must be upheld”
The Head of United Nations Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, for his part said both Hizbullah and the Israeli government are in violation of Council resolution 1701 and noted that peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) “have remained in position in line with the mandate this Council has provided, while continuously reassessing the force's posture against prevailing risk.”
Lacroix said, “many rockets have been launched from south of the Litani River, which demonstrates the presence of unauthorised armed personnel, assets and weapons south of the Litani River,” while the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) “have issued displacement orders for the entire UNIFIL area of operations and intensified daily strikes, impacting multiple locations in the UNIFIL area of operations.”
He said, “UNIFIL continues to maintain constant contact with the parties to avoid misunderstandings, de-conflict and de-escalate where possible.”
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher told the Council that the “ability to reach people is tightening by the day”, as “large areas of south Lebanon, the Bekaa, and Beirut's southern suburbs remain active conflict zones”
Fletcher noted that “debris and unexploded ordnance are blocking roads to affected villages and key transport routes, including those linking the Bekaa, have been repeatedly disrupted,” and “population movements are shifting quickly and increasingly difficult to track with.”
In the midst of this crises, and cooperation and coordination with the Government of Lebanon, a three-month, hyper-prioritized Flash Appeal will be launched in Beirut later this week.
Fletcher said, “staggering amounts of money, reportedly 1 billion dollars a day” are being “spent on destruction” in the Middle East, adding that “while some politicians boast of cutting aid to those in grievous danger globally. With a fraction of this money, we can save millions of lives globally.”
The humanitarian chief noted that the UN partners have provided over 500,000 hot meals, distributed over 270,000 litres of bottled water, provided hygiene items and household supplies and 123,000 litres of fuel to sustain critical services, adding that the Rapid Response Teams are delivering life-saving supplies in shelters and 125 Health Sector-supported mobile primary healthcare units are providing services. Child protection and psychosocial support are being expanded, alongside the preparations for emergency cash assistance for vulnerable families and children.
United States Ambassador Mike Waltz told the Council that “the world must come together now in supporting Lebanon's efforts to exercise its sovereignty across every inch of Lebanese territory.”
Waltz said, “the United States stands with the Lebanese people, who are dragged into yet another war by Hezbollah at the behest of Iran.”
Lebanese Ambassador Ahmad Arafa for his part said, “we will not accept a return to the past. The Lebanese people do not want war, and the Lebanese government is moving forward and implementing its decisions and will not backtrack.”
However, he stressed, “our priority today is to stop this war, to protect our country and ensure the security and safety of our people. It is our right to live in peace and security in our homeland and our region.”
Arafa called on the Council to “support of the Lebanese government's efforts” and to “compel Israel to implement resolution 1701; to respect the cessation of hostilities; to withdraw fully to internationally recognised borders; to end its repeated violations and breaches of Lebanese sovereignty; to release Lebanese detainees; to cease its threats to Lebanon's territorial integrity and political independence within its internationally recognised borders.”
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said, “since the 2nd of March, Hizbullah has launched wave after wave of attacks against Israel. More than 880 rockets and missiles; more than 60 UAVs; more than 15 anti-tank guided missiles. Hizbullah itself has been clear about why, and I quote, to avenge the death of Ayatollah Khomeini. Not to defend Lebanon, not to protect Lebanese citizens, but to serve the agenda of the Iranian regime.”
Talking to reporters outside the Council, Danon said, “there are only two options here. Either the Lebanese state acts to dismantle Hizbullah 's military in southern Lebanon or Israel will. The Lebanese government must mobilise its army and confront the terrorist threat Hizbullah poses, not only to Israel, but to the people of Lebanon.”
He said, “Israel does not want to be operating inside Lebanon, but Israel will not accept rockets fired at our people, and we will do whatever is necessary to stop them.”
French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont on behalf of a group of member states, including UNIFIL troop contributing countries, read a joint statement saying, “we stand ready to increase our support to the Lebanese state's sovereignty and its armed forces, to ensure control of the territory and stabilise the country. We welcome the President's Aoun’s four points initiative, including the call for direct negotiations under international auspices. We urge Israel to abstain from attacks against civilian infrastructure and heavily populated areas, and to respect the Lebanese sovereignty and its territorial integrity. All parties must respect international law, including international humanitarian law, and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
UNIFIL continued to record a growing number of incidents across the Blue Line, including rockets and projectiles fired from Lebanon into Israel, and airstrikes by the IDF impacting southern Lebanon, including Bayt Lif in Sector West and Qabrikha, Ett Taibe and Raabatt Talateen in Sector East.
The UN Mission notes that heavy artillery shelling by Israel has also been reported in various areas of Sector East.
UNIFIL has also observed ground movements from the Israeli Defence Forces including near Alma al-Shab, Yaroun in Sector West and El Adeisse in Kafer Kela and Khiyam in Sector East.
The UN Mission continues to facilitate humanitarian access in support of those impacted by the ongoing hostilities.
