11.03.2026 Statement for open meeting on Lebanon

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Thank you, Mr. President,

And let me also thank the three Under Secretary Generals for their sobering updates and Ms. Harfoush for her important messages.

Mr. President,

The situation in the Middle East is extremely fragile. At this time of heightened tension, any escalation carries serious risks for regional peace and security. That is why Denmark was part of the call for this emergency meeting together with France, Greece, Latvia and the United Kingdom. Our message today is simple: There is an urgent need to de-escalate and to resume the cessation of hostilities agreement.

Hezbollah’s actions risk dragging Lebanon into a broader regional war against the will and interests of the Lebanese Government and the Lebanese people. We strongly condemn Hezbollah’s decision to attack Israel and their support for Iran, and we call for all those attacks to cease immediately.

On its part, Israel must exercise its right to self-defence in accordance with international law and abstain from further escalating the situation. We urge Israel to withdraw its forces from occupied areas in Lebanon in line with the November 2024 cessation of hostilities agreement. We call for respect for Lebanese sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence in line with resolution 1701.

This will also allow for a gradual establishment of control by the Lebanese Armed Forces in Southern Lebanon paving the way for the exclusive state control with arms in the country.

As a result of the recent outbreak of hostilities, in the past week alone, more than 550 Lebanese civilians have been killed.

Denmark underlines that all parties must respect international law, including international humanitarian law, and that the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure must be ensured. 

Over seven hundred thousand civilians have been forced to evacuate, creating large waves of internally displaced within Lebanon. Thousands more have crossed into Syria.

All of those places additional strain on Lebanon whose people have already suffered from largescale economic and humanitarian challenges as a result of decades of conflict, mismanagement, external interference and regional instability.

A strong, stable and secure Lebanon would contribute to Israel’s safety. This can only materialise, however, if the parties focus on de-escalation and dialogue. And it requires that Hezbollah stops its attacks.

Mr. President,

Lebanese society has historically been and remains to this day a mosaic of diversity. This diversity is a distinct strength; however, it must remain so.

In the past decade, Lebanon has shown immense generosity and resilience in housing more than one million refugees from neighbouring Syria. New massive waves of internal displacement carry the risk of sectarian strife. This must be avoided at all cost.

We urge the Lebanese government and the Lebanese people to prioritise national unity and social cohesion in the face of the current conflict.

The Lebanese Government has also shown courage and will to take on historic challenges, and even if much remains to be done, progress has been made in disarming Hezbollah and implementing economic reforms.

The current conflict risks rolling back these positive steps.

Mr. President, against this backdrop, UNIFIL’s presence in southern Lebanon is more important than ever.

We fully support UNIFIL in exercising the tasks mandated by this Council and recall that peacekeepers are protected by international law.

Reports of attacks on UNIFIL personnels are deeply worrying and our thoughts go to the wounded Ghanian peacekeepers. Any deliberate targeting of peacekeepers is unacceptable.

The current, volatile situation only underscores the need for UNIFIL and for a strong and continuous UN presence in Lebanon – including after UNIFIL’s drawdown by December 2026.

Mr. President, in closing.

Lebanon must not become another front in an already dangerous and volatile regional landscape.

Its people – who have already suffered so much and so long - must not be dragged into another man-made humanitarian emergency.

We call on all actors to step back from the brink and return to negotiations and peaceful dialogue.

I thank you.