UN 'alarmed' over hundreds of Israeli airspace violations, firing incidents in Lebanon

The UN urged "maximum restraint" on Monday, as peacekeepers in Lebanon reported extensive Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon and repeated violations of Lebanese airspace despite a ceasefire announced last week.

"We are alarmed by the overnight escalation, including renewed strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday and reported Hezbollah strikes into northern Israel," UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said at a news conference.

"We urge all actors to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any action that could further inflame an already volatile situation," he said, further calling on all sides to respect the ceasefire jointly announced by Lebanon, Israel, and the US last week and "to avoid any steps that could undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a durable peace."

Expressing concern about the impact of the hostilities on civilians, Haq stressed that "civilians and civilian infrastructures must not be targeted. We call on all actors to uphold their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law."

Haq said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) observed a "high tempo" of military activity across its area of operations from Friday through Sunday.

According to UNIFIL, peacekeepers recorded 201 violations of Lebanese airspace by the Israeli forces, including helicopters and fighter aircraft, totaling nearly 288 hours of overflight time.

The mission also documented more than 2,100 firing incidents originating from Israeli positions, including from south of the Blue Line and from within UNIFIL's area of operations, he said.

"The heaviest impacts were recorded in Sector East and areas immediately north of the Litani River," said Haq.

Haq also emphasized the dire situation on the ground as "hostilities and displacement orders continue to claim lives and drive people from their homes."

"Since last Friday, IDF (Israeli military) evacuation orders have been issued for 17 villages across the governorates of South, Nabatieh and Bekaa, including two localities included in evacuation orders for the first time since the renewed escalation began in early March," he said.

Haq stressed that "the scale and uncertainty of these orders make them almost impossible to comply with safely, bringing into question their effectiveness, a requirement under international humanitarian law."

When asked whether Israel's evacuation orders are in line with international law, Haq said: "Israel is not the sovereign power of Lebanon. Obviously, we believe that everyone has to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon."

Tensions escalated on Sunday, when Israel bombed the Lebanese capital Beirut, despite an ongoing ceasefire, prompting Iran to launch missiles at northern Israel in retaliation, with Israel launching several waves of airstrikes against Iran.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 3,600 people, injured over 11,000 others, and displaced more than 1.6 million since March 2, according to Lebanese officials.

In a post on his Truth Social platform early Monday, Trump called on Israel and Iran to stop fighting "immediately" in the wake of their tit-for-tat airstrikes.

The region has been on edge since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February, triggering Iranian retaliation on Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets.

A temporary ceasefire was reached on April 8, but negotiations later stalled amid disputes over its implementation and subsequent regional developments.