Middle East: Regional crisis risks engulfing Syria, UN envoy warns
Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Geir Pedersen expressed grave concern over the mounting violence and its cascading impact on Syria, which has been embroiled in civil conflict – later drawing in outside forces – since 2011. He highlighted…
Lebanon: UN warns of escalating horror in Middle East as ‘communications tools become weapons’
Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, told ambassadors in the Security Council, that strikes and exchanges of fire across the Blue Line, which have been going on for nearly a year, “have expanded in scope and intensity”….
How Lebanon’s wireless paging system was weaponized to make Hezbollah devices explode
The simultaneous explosion of thousands of pagers used by Lebanese militia Hezbollah on Tuesday was the result of an unprecedented weaponization of a wireless paging system, in which rigged devices detonated upon receiving a coded signal transmitted by radio frequency….
Whole generation of children ‘lost’ amid ongoing Gaza war, UNICEF warns
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action, stressed the urgent need for an immediate end to the hostilities and a negotiated political settlement that prioritises the rights and well-being of both Israeli and Palestinian children, now and in…
Security Council: Middle East envoy warns against escalation, highlights continued Israeli settlement activity
“The series of explosions across Lebanon and rockets fired toward Israel in recent days adds to the volatility,” said Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. He urged all sides “to refrain from steps that will further…
Who still uses pagers?
As mobile phones became the world’s main communications tool, pagers, also known as beepers because of the sound they make to notify users about incoming messages, were largely rendered obsolete, with demand plunging from their 1990s heyday. But the tiny…
UN General Assembly demands Israel end ‘unlawful presence’ in Occupied Palestinian Territory
With a recorded vote of 124 nations in favour, 14 against, and 43 abstentions, the resolution calls for Israel to comply with international law and withdraw its military forces, immediately cease all new settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from occupied…
UN appeals for restraint after further devices explode across Lebanon
International media reported that walkie-talkies used by members of the Hezbollah militant group blew up on Wednesday, a day after hundreds of pagers across the country exploded simultaneously. Mr. Guterres was deeply alarmed by reports that a large number of…
Top UN official appeals for calm following wave of attacks in Lebanon
The coordinated attacks reportedly targeted the Hezbollah militant group, with hundreds of electronic pagers belonging to its members blowing up at the same time, according to international media reports. ‘Extremely concerning escalation’ “The developments today mark an extremely concerning escalation…
UN rights expert calls for immediate release of all Israeli hostages
Alice Edwards, the UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on Torture, also condemned the killing of six Israeli hostages earlier this month and called for an immediate end to hostilities on all fronts. Approximately 250 Israelis and foreign nationals were…