The UN chief condemned the murder of 12 civilians, mostly children and teenagers in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. He expressed his deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wished all the wounded a speedy recovery.
“Civilians, and children in particular, must no longer bear the brunt of the horrific violence plaguing the region,” said a memo issued on Sunday by Mr Guterres’ spokesman.
The Secretary-General further said that he calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and reiterates his call on all concerned to avoid further escalation.
The gun battles over the Blue Line must be stopped immediately. All parties must comply with their obligations under international law,” the note said, adding that parties must urgently recommit to the full implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 1701 and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities.
(Adopted by the Security Council in 2006, resolution 1701 aimed at ending the war that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon and the establishment of a demilitarized zone.)
Also responding to the “horrific missile attack,” the top UN envoy for the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, warned on X on Saturday that the region is on the brink of the abyss; “the world and the region cannot afford another open conflict. I call on everyone to exercise maximum restraint. The launching of missiles across the Blue Line must be stopped immediately.”
In a joint statement released on Saturday, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon and the commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIT) also condemned the attack.
“We deplore the deaths of civilians – young children and teenagers – in Majdal Shams. Civilians must be protected at all times, said envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and lieutenant general Aroldo Lázaro respectively.
The two officials urged the sides to exercise maximum restraint and put an end to the ongoing, intense firefights, fearing that “this could unleash a larger conflagration that would plunge the entire region into a catastrophe beyond imagination.”