UNITED NATIONS, June 23 (Xinhua) — Heavy damage and a fragile ceasefire are holding back most civilians from leaving displacement shelters for their homes in southern Lebanon, UN humanitarians said Tuesday.
However, about 19,000 people left collective shelters overnight, reducing the total from 109,000 on Monday to more than 90,000 on Tuesday, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
A new joint assessment by the UN Development Programme and the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research reported that more than 11,000 residential buildings were completely destroyed and another 2,200 were partially damaged during recent hostilities.
“For many families, this means there is simply no home to return to,” said OCHA. “Continued uncertainty, widespread destruction and the threat posed by unexploded ordnance continue to prevent safe and sustainable returns.”
The office said that one person was reportedly injured earlier this week when unexploded ordnance detonated in Mansouri municipality in South Governorate.
“The UN and partners continue to call for the protection of civilians and for conditions that allow displaced families to return home voluntarily, safely and with dignity,” said OCHA.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, gave examples of the shaky ceasefire during a regular briefing.
Dujarric said that peacekeepers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired heavy machine-gun fire and two 40 mm grenades near Al Bayyadah toward a UNIFIL base, followed by three rounds fired by a Merkava tank toward Al Mansuri in UNIFIL’s Sector West.
The UN peacekeepers also reported four aerial drone activities near and over a UNIFIL position on Monday, with one armed drone flying over the position at altitudes ranging from 50 to 150 meters. Another drone was recorded south of Deir Mimess at an altitude of about 80 meters, apparently monitoring peacekeepers during roadblock removal work, he said.
The spokesperson said peacekeepers encountered two roadblocks southeast of Deir Mimess on Monday, and IDF personnel blocked a road used by a UNIFIL patrol near Bayt Yahun, forcing them to return to their point of origin.
UNIFIL, through its liaison branch and in coordination with OCHA, facilitated 12 humanitarian missions by three agencies in Sector West on Monday, said Dujarric. ■
Shaky Lebanon ceasefire, heavy damage hinder return of displaced: UN
