UN chief makes 'solidarity' visit to war-battered Lebanon
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he had arrived in Beirut on Friday for a "solidarity" visit to Lebanon, where the Middle East war has claimed more than 687 lives since March 2.
Guterres is expected to raise awareness of the growing humanitarian needs in the country, with more than 800,000 people displaced since the conflict spread to Lebanon.
"I have just landed in Beirut for a visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon. They did not choose this war. They were dragged into it," the United Nations secretary-general said on X.
"The UN and I will spare no effort in striving for the peaceful future that Lebanon and this region so richly deserve."
I have just landed in Beirut for a visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 13, 2026
They did not choose this war. They were dragged into it.
The @UN & I will spare no effort in striving for the peaceful future that Lebanon & this region so richly deserve.
The UN said an emergency appeal for funds is to be launched during his visit.
The UN's migration agency said that it needed $19 million to cover operations over the next three months.
"Humanitarian needs are rising faster than the response," Mathieu Luciano, the Lebanon mission chief for the International Organization for Migration, told reporters in Geneva.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.
Israel expanded its strikes in Lebanon on Friday, targeting multiple areas, including a bridge over the Litani River that it said Hezbollah had been using as a passageway for its fighters.
Hezbollah launched fresh attacks against Israeli forces on Friday.
ALSO READ:
