UN welcomes fresh Lebanon ceasefire reports as rights experts urge Iran accountability

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the noon briefing in New York that the UN was “aware of reports indicating that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire” and welcomed the development while renewing calls on all parties “to cease hostilities, respect existing ceasefire arrangements and pursue dialogue as the only viable path to long-term security and stability”.

The continued fighting between Israeli forces operating inside southern Lebanon and Hezbollah has tested the provisional agreement signed by Washington and Tehran this week, which includes the demand for a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon.

Israel has indicated it is not bound by the deal, and neither Israel nor Hezbollah have publicly confirmed the renewed ceasefire commitment, according to reports. Diplomats reported that talks to advance the provisional deal between the US and Iran in Switzerland had been postponed due to Israeli strikes on Lebanon Friday. 

UN peacekeeping mission ‘in constant contact’

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) confirmed its leadership was in constant contact with the parties through the agreed mechanism, though its own figures underscored how far from calm conditions remain. 

On Thursday, peacekeepers detected 52 Israeli airspace violations and 217 projectile trajectories: 188 attributed to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and 29 to Lebanese non-State actors, “presumably Hezbollah”.

From midnight to 4pm local time Friday, the picture worsened sharply. UNIFIL recorded 748 trajectories – 695 attributed to Israeli forces and 53 to non-State actors – along with 49 airspace violations and 51 airstrikes by Israeli forces as well as continued Israeli ground activity, including armoured movements and logistical operations.

Aid stepped up

On the humanitarian side, UNIFIL has stepped up food and essential assistance deliveries this week to displaced families in Beirut and surrounding areas. 

In the coastal city of Saida, French and UK development ministers joined the UN humanitarian and resident coordinator, Imran Riza, for a joint visit to a collective shelter, where site managers reported that many families who had left following the recent agreement were returning. 

In one shelter, nearly half of those who had departed earlier in the week were back by Friday morning.

Mr. Dujarric cautioned, however, that “for many displaced families, ceasefire announcements have yet to translate into improved safety or the ability to return home.”

Iran rights experts sound alarm

Separately, UN independent human rights experts on Friday welcomed the signing of the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding between the Washington and Tehran, but warned that any agreement failing to address rights abuses inside Iran would be “fundamentally incomplete”.

The experts noted that the initial deal, covering military withdrawal, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, nuclear weapons development commitments, sanctions relief and a $300 billion reconstruction fund, left the Iranian people “barely visible in this framework”, despite thousands of civilian deaths in airstrikes on schools, hospitals and residential areas, and millions internally displaced.

Since the war began in late February, Iranian authorities have moved aggressively against dissent. 

Thousands have been detained, with many reportedly tortured, forcibly disappeared or subjected to mock executions. At least 156 individuals have been executed since the war began, including 42 on espionage and national security charges, with many following proceedings in which confessions were reportedly extracted under torture and legal counsel denied, the independent experts detailed.

The experts, who are appointed by the Human Rights Council and receive no salary for their work, called for accountability to be placed at the centre of any lasting settlement.