UN – Lebanon-Israel border violence risks new conflict

The UN Security Council is warning that recent violence along Lebanon’s border with Israel and the presence of unauthorized weapons in a UN buffer zone in southern Lebanon risk a new conflict.

In January, two Israeli soldiers and a UN peacekeeper from Spain were killed in the deadliest escalation on the disputed border since the 2006 war between Lebanese Hezbollah terrorists and Israel.

The council urged all parties to exercise “maximum calm and restraint and refrain from any action or rhetoric that could jeopardize the cessation of hostilities or destabilize the region.”

In a presidential statement adopted Thursday, the Security Council also expressed concern at other border violations including the presence of terrorist and violent extremist groups in Lebanese territory.

— AP