UN rights chief to pay official visit to Lebanon on Sunday

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk will pay an official visit to Lebanon on July 26-27, the UN human rights office announced on Thursday.

In a statement, the office said Turk is scheduled to meet Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and several government ministers during the two-day visit.

The UN rights chief will also hold talks with representatives of national human rights mechanisms, civil society organizations, members of the diplomatic community, and the UN country team.

The high commissioner is also expected to hold a press conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Monday.

On June 26, Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement providing for a phased Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory, but it does not include a timetable for the withdrawal. Instead, it links completion of the process to the Lebanese army assuming full security responsibility in areas vacated by Israeli forces and the disarmament of armed groups, including Hezbollah.

According to official Lebanese figures, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed 4,328 people and injured 12,232 others since March 2.

Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, some of which have been held for decades and others seized during the previous war between October 2023 and November 2024.