As Israel expands invasion of Lebanon, Tom Fletcher asks how the world will prepare for a ‘new escalation’ in the occupied territory.
Published on 31 March 2026
The UN humanitarian chief has asked the UN Security Council (UNSC) what it is prepared to do to protect civilians in Lebanon as Israel steps up its ground invasion and bombing of the country.
Speaking during an emergency UNSC session on Tuesday, Tom Fletcher said the question is important given recent comments by Israeli ministers about Israel’s objectives in Lebanon as well as the genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
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“Given the trajectory that some Israeli ministers have described and what we have clearly seen in Gaza, how do you protect civilians?” Fletcher asked the council.
“Secondly, given the intensity of forced displacement that we are seeing, how should we, as the international community, collectively prepare for a new addition to the list of occupied territories?”
More than 1.1 million people have been displaced across Lebanon since Israel launched intensified attacks on the country on March 2 after Hezbollah fired missiles at northern Israel during the US-Israeli war over Iran.
The meeting at the UN headquarters in New York was held after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his country planned to annex parts of southern Lebanon even after the current tension with Hezbollah ends.
“At the end of the operation, (Israeli forces) will establish themselves in a security zone inside Lebanon… and maintain security control over the entire area up to the Litani (river),” Katz said in a video message.
Israeli troops began pushing deeper into southern Lebanon this week in what the army said was an operation to protect northern Israeli residents from missile attacks.
Human rights groups have condemned the expanded military operations, warning Israel against attacking civilian infrastructure and preventing residents from being allowed to return to their homes and communities.
The deepening Israeli offensive has also led to an increase in deadly violence, including the killings of three UN peacekeepers operating in the region in recent days.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed “when their vehicles were destroyed in an unidentified explosion” near the southern Lebanese village of Bani Hayyan on Monday.
The day before, another Indonesian peacekeeper was killed “when a projectile exploded at a UNIFIL position near Adashit al-Qusayr, another village in southern Lebanon”.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said during Tuesday’s UNSC session that initial findings “point to a roadside explosion at the convoy” in the killing of two peacekeepers on Monday.
“These tragic events should not have happened,” Lacroix said. He said UNIFIL’s investigation is ongoing.
“Peacekeepers should never be targeted. All actions that endanger peacekeepers must stop immediately,” he said.
In a statement condemning the deadly incidents, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also stressed that attacks on UN peacekeepers violate international law “and may amount to war crimes”.
“There will be a need for accountability. No one should die in the service of peace,” the statement said.
“The Secretary-General urges all parties to uphold their obligations under international law and ensure the protection of United Nations personnel and property at all times.”
