Iran, Lebanon, Palestine & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (17 March 2026)

Noon Briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: Iran Middle East Lebanon Lebanon/Humanitarian Occupied Palestinian Territory Afghanistan/Pakistan Cuba Occupied Palestinian Territory Afghanistan/Pakistan Cuba Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Global Advocate for Human-Centric Digital Governance Financial Contribution  ------------------------------------- IRAN The Secretary-General asserts once more that the war in the Middle East must stop. Diplomacy must prevail. All Security Council resolutions must be implemented. The latest one, resolution 2817, must be respected, as we see that countries in the Gulf continue to be targeted.   MIDDLE EAST And the World Food Programme (WFP) is warning today that the total number of people around the world facing acute levels of hunger could reach record numbers in 2026 if the escalation in the Middle East continues to destabilize the world’s economy. New analysis by WFP estimates that almost 45 million more people could fall into acute food insecurity or worse (known as IPC3+) if the conflict does not end by the middle of the year, and if oil prices remain above $100 a barrel. These would add to the 318 million people around the world who are already food insecure.  LEBANON Turning to Lebanon, our UNIFIL peacekeepers report continued exchanges of fire in both directions across the Blue Line, including rockets, missiles, artillery, mortars and direct fire, as well as interceptions of projectiles and airstrikes inside its area of operations in southern Lebanon. The peacekeepers are observing reinforcement of Israeli Defense Forces forces in several areas north of the Blue Line, especially in Sector East. Near Khyam in Sector East, about five kilometers north of the Blue Line, peacekeepers yesterday monitored the concentration of dozens of military vehicles, including armored personnel carriers and tanks. In addition, peacekeepers continue to observe reinforcement of IDF forces near Kfar Kila in Sector East. We continue to urge all sides to cease hostilities, avail themselves of diplomatic channels and recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. And in line with this call, today and in closed consultations, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, are both briefing the Security Council via VTC on the implementation of the resolution. LEBANON/HUMANITARIAN On the humanitarian front in Lebanon, our colleagues at OCHA report that we and our partners continue to scale-up humanitarian assistance, providing food, shelter, water and medical support to families forced to flee their homes. To date, UN agencies, including World Food Programme, UN Refugee Agency, and UNICEF, and our non-governmental partners have distributed more than 1.1 million hot meals and 38,000 ready-to-eat kits, as well as more than tens of thousands of mattresses, sleeping mats, blankets and hygiene and menstrual hygiene kits to collective shelters. Hundreds of thousands of litres of clean water have also been delivered. Full Highlight: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-03-17