World News in Brief: Lebanon violence continues, Israel ‘severs ties’ with UN chief, Internal displacement in Haiti, warning to France over prison overcrowding
According to the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), approximately 670 projectile movements were recorded on Wednesday – the highest number since the cessation of hostilities took effect on 17 April. The mission also reported increased ground and air activity by the Israeli military, including armoured vehicle movements and strikes north of the Litani River.“We again urge all to respect the cessation of hostilities and stop any further attacks. We reiterate that civilians and civilian infrastructure must never be targeted. We condemn the loss of civilian lives” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.Families displacedThe renewed violence has triggered new waves of displacement. Evacuation orders issued over the past 48 hours have affected hundreds of thousands of people south of the Zahrani River. Collective shelters in Tyre and Saida are reportedly full.The UN aid coordination office (OCHA) warned that families are once again being forced to flee their homes under “intolerable” conditions.‘Door remains open’ to Israel says UN, following decision to sever ties with Secretary-GeneralThe UN Spokesperson said on Thursday that the door will always remain open to Israel after its decision to “sever all ties” with the Secretary-General’s office.The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a tweet it was making the move in response to the reported decision to include the country on the list of State and non-State actors responsible for patterns of sexual violence in conflict in the UN chief’s upcoming annual report to the Security Council on the issue.Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon tweeted that adding Israel to a list that included Hamas militants marked a “new low”.The report has yet to be made public, but the foreign ministry described Israel’s inclusion in the annex as “shameful and absurd”, alleging that it was “yet another example of the UN’s long-standing, institutionalised hostility towards Israel.” Engagement ‘always a better solution’UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said he could not comment on the content of the report on conflict-related sexual violence.“I can tell you from the Secretary-General’s point of view, his door remains open to Israeli representatives, as to the other 192 Member States and the two Observer States.”He added that it was important for Member States to engage “and continue to engage. Not only with us but all the various mechanisms…to work together. I think engaging is always a better solution that disengagement.”
