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Thank you, Madam President.
And let me also thank ASG Pobee for her concerning briefing. We supported the call for this meeting as the situation in Lebanon is growing increasingly critical.
Over the past three months, we have witnessed developments that raise serious concerns about the nature of Israeli operations in Lebanon. The recent military escalation and expansion of ground operations in Southern Lebanon beyond the Litani River, reaching as far as Tyre and Nabatieh, add to this concern.
This represents Israel’s deepest military push into Lebanon in 26 years and must stop.
While Israel has the right to self-defence, this must be exercised in accordance with international law.
We call for full respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. This includes withdrawing Israeli forces from South Lebanon.
We also reiterate our strong condemnation of Hezbollah’s continued attacks against Israel and underline that these attacks must stop immediately.
All parties must respect the ceasefire. We continue to support the direct talks between Israel and Lebanon and hope that they can pave the way for lasting peace. We support the reestablishment of a robust monitoring mechanism – along the lines of that what existed during theceasefire in 2024 – to ensure compliance with the current ceasefire agreement and build trust between the parties.
Madam President,
Denmark is deeply concerned about the humanitarian and civilian consequences of Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
The escalating conflict has created a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million people – about 20 percent of the entire Lebanese population.
Let me reiterate well-known calls: Safe, secure and sustained humanitarian access to civilians must be ensured in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. Denmark condemns all attacks directed against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including first responders and health care personnel. Israel must cease all demolitions of civilian infrastructure.
We are also deeply concerned by military operations in and around Lebanon's cultural heritage sites. Cultural property must be protected and must not be used for military purposes. International Law must be fully respected at all times.
Madam President,
Hizbollah has once again dragged Lebanon into an unwanted war. Hezbollah must disarm in full accordance with Resolution 1701 and cease all attacks on Israel.
We commend the Lebanese government for these steps it has taken to restore the state’s monopoly over arms and to expand the authority of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The current military escalation risks undermining these positive steps. Focus should now be on strengthening the Lebanese Government and the Lebanese Armed Forces, to enable them to fulfil their disarmament mandate rather than extending the conflict.
We also stress the importance of a continued strong and effective UN presence in Lebanon in support of resolution 1701. As UNIFIL’s mandate approaches its end, we must ensure that there is no vacuum in the international community’s engagement. We welcome the Secretary-General’s report on this question and look forward to its thorough discussion.
Madam president, in closing,
Sovereignty and territorial integrity are not just theoretical principles — they are at the very foundation of the international order we have fought to uphold within this Chamber for the last 80 years.
What we are witnessing in Lebanon today is what happens when those principles erode. The potential ripple effects — for Lebanon, the region and the credibility of this Council — are way too clear. It is our collective responsibility to continue to protect them.
Thank you.
