Security Council calls for respect of entire Lebanon-Israel Blue Line

The United Nations Security Council today expressed deep concern about the hostilities along the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon on Monday, "which were initiated by Hizbollah from the Lebanese side, and which quickly spread along the entire Blue Line," and said it regretted the casualties on both sides.

In a statement read to journalists by Russia's Permanent Representative, Ambassador Andrey Denisov, who is Council president for November, the 15 members appealed to all parties to respect the Blue Line in its entirety, exercise the utmost restraint and refrain from any action that could further escalate the situation.

They repeated their call on the Government of Lebanon to extend its authority and to exert its monopoly over the use of force in all of its territory, in accordance with Council resolutions.

A UN spokesman said on Tuesday that the hostilities resulted in the reported deaths of several Hizbollah fighters and an unconfirmed number of wounded on both sides, and that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) brokered a ceasefire to prevent a further escalation of tensions.