When I last visited Lebanon a year and a half ago, I saw a country emerging from profound and overlapping crises and events - a protracted political impasse, financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut Port explosion, and armed conflict - all amid a volatile, wider geopolitical context.
Yet, there was a very clear determination to move forward by the new President and the new Government. The new leadership had signaled an agenda for reform with broad support - both domestically and internationally - and with a new national vision emerging as a glimmer of hope amid a very difficult situation globally.
Over the past year, that determination has been reflected in important steps towards addressing a number of critical issues, including the rule of law, accountability, disability rights and other institutional reforms.
But the US-Israel-Iran situation ensnared the country earlier this year, triggering a re-escalation of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. And the impact has not just affected this momentum - it has been devastating for the people in Lebanon.
I am struck by the widespread damage and compounded suffering that I have seen. The trauma, frustration and despair are palpable - but so too is the demand for justice which I heard resoundingly.
A victim who lost his mother and brother in Israeli attacks that destroyed their family home in a residential building in Beirut told me: "Even from this darkness, there is an opportunity. We are mobilizing in a way that we have not done before, through documenting [violations]." He called for accountability.
I express my deep, heartfelt solidarity with all victims.
During my visit, I met with the President, the Prime Minister, the President of the Lebanese National Assembly, the Minister of Social Affairs and the Minister of Justice. I also met internally displaced people who were forced to flee hostilities, as well as a broad array of representatives from national human rights mechanisms, civil society, and the diplomatic community. My discussions addressed the impact of the conflict as well as the country's broader human rights trajectory.
My colleagues here in Lebanon have been documenting the human toll of hostilities.
Continued Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas have triggered immense civilian casualties, widespread carnage, devastation and mass displacement.
Rockets fired by Hezbollah into populated areas in Israel have also caused civilian casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure.
Since 2 March, more than 4,300 people have been killed and 12,200 injured in Lebanon according to figures from the national authorities. More than 135 healthcare workers, as well as many journalists and media workers, are among those killed.
Despite an initial 17 April cessation of hostilities announcement, followed by multiple rounds of negotiations to de-escalate and rein in the conflict, the Israeli military continues to kill and injure people in Lebanon, with continued airstrikes and ground operations.
My Office has recorded large-scale violations of international humanitarian law, some possibly amounting to war crimes. Under certain circumstances, they may also constitute crimes under international law.
With the Minister of Social Affairs, I visited a school that has been repurposed as a shelter, hosting around 1,000 victims of conflict. This is the second or third cycle of displacement for many. Some told me they attempted to return home last week, only to discover that their villages have been destroyed.
I heard how entire villages south of the Litani River have been razed or rendered uninhabitable, as Israeli strikes and ongoing demolitions have flattened homes, schools, healthcare facilities, water distribution networks, electricity infrastructure, places of worship and agricultural land.
As the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is set to end this year, I am worried what this means for the protection of civilians in the south. And I hope that this dimension will be taken into account in any future configuration.
Israeli forces continue to occupy significant Lebanese territory in the south, and I am concerned that the overall conduct resulting in large scale displacement and denial of returns could amount to international crimes.
I announced an impartial and independent assessment mission in June, as agreed with the Government of Lebanon. This mission has already deployed to Lebanon, and its members are currently on the ground, collecting information and evidence on alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law committed by the parties to the conflict in the country since 2 March 2026.
Lebanon's dynamic civil society plays a central role and is also engaged in responding to and documenting the impact of the conflict.
Apart from the conflict, they also highlighted the need for further progress in protecting the rights of marginalized groups - including refugees, migrants, LGBTIQ+ people and people with disabilities - and in particular emphasized the need to combat discrimination against them.
I heard heartbreaking accounts of the experiences of displaced victims of conflict, in particular people with disabilities who face difficulties in evacuating to safety and accessing shelters. While Lebanon has made important progress, including in ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the implementation remains challenging. I also hope for more progress on the decriminalization of same-sex relationships.
In a few days, families of the victims of the Beirut Port explosion will commemorate the sixth year since this tragic event. Justice needs to be delivered for victims, and those responsible held to account.
Ongoing, much-welcome reform efforts to advance judicial independence and rule of law will be critical to strengthen the trust in State institutions. And conditions in prisons and detention centres in Lebanon require urgent attention.
I welcome the draft law to abolish the death penalty, building on the longstanding moratorium in the country. I encourage its swift adoption by the parliament. This will make Lebanon the first country in the region to do so.
Recovery and reconstruction are not simply a logistics exercise. The relationship between the State and all its citizens needs to be strengthened, to address perceptions of division and exclusion. And this was a concern relayed to me in particular by victims from the south.
The social contract will need to be rebuilt, where all communities in Lebanon are respected in their dignity and human rights, and where the State is able to protect their rights and provide the services, safety and security they need. This is also means full empowerment of the Lebanese State with full respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity without external interference.
I warmly thank the Government of Lebanon for hosting my visit. My Office and my colleagues here on the ground remain ready to support Lebanon in the promotion and protection of human rights for all.
