With the death of a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting at its headquarters in New York.
On the 31st (local time), Jean-Pierre Lacroix, U.N. undersecretary-general for peace operations, said at the meeting that "tensions have continued to rise and the situation has deteriorated along the Blue Line (the boundary between Israel and Lebanon) between Hezbollah and Israel and beyond," adding, "civilian casualties are increasing, and UNIFIL has also suffered casualties."
Earlier, on the 29th–30th, three people, including two Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers, were killed by an unexplained explosion in southern Lebanon.
Lacroix said, "Peacekeepers must never be a target of attack," and urged that "all actions that threaten the safety of peacekeepers must cease immediately."
He went on to point out that the Israeli military is advancing inland in Lebanon, approaching areas "very close" to the UNIFIL headquarters.
Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the U.N., blamed Hezbollah for the deaths of the UNIFIL peacekeepers. He argued that Hezbollah is firing rockets from villages right next to UNIFIL bases, exposing the peacekeepers to the direct front line.
Ahmad Arafa, Lebanon's ambassador to the U.N., said, "The Lebanese people did not choose this war," and claimed, "this war was forced," calling for an end to barbaric acts.
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said, "Until the U.N. fully investigates and assesses the circumstances of this incident, the Security Council and the world should refrain from hasty judgments," while emphasizing that "all parties must always respect the safety and security of peacekeepers."