Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
All right, good afternoon.
**Iran
Good afternoon. I will start off with the situation in the Gulf.
I can tell you that the Secretary-General is alarmed by the reported exchange of fire overnight between the [United States] and Iran and by reports that Iran has targeted Kuwait and Bahrain. He is deeply troubled by reports of civilian casualties.
The Secretary-General calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid any further escalation that risk to undermine the ongoing diplomatic efforts. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be fully respected.
The Secretary-General condemns all attacks on civilian infrastructure and recalls that international humanitarian law strictly prohibits the targeting of civilian objects. He calls on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and under international law and to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians.
The Secretary-General reaffirms his full support for all ongoing mediation efforts, including those led by Pakistan, and urges all parties to engage constructively and in good faith with diplomatic initiatives.
**Lebanon/Israel
And turning to Lebanon, I can tell you that we are deeply concerned by the ongoing hostilities, as people continue to be forced to leave their homes in search of safety.
In Beirut alone, an estimated 200,000 people were displaced from the southern suburbs following the evacuation order issued by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on 1 June. And according to local authorities, 30,000 families in South Governorate and 4,000 families in Nabatieh have escaped violence in recent days. The latest wave of displacement is putting severe pressure on already overstretched systems.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that as of today, nearly 135,000 people have registered in collective shelters, which are increasingly overcrowded, with thousands more staying on the streets and seaside, among other places.
We are also alarmed by the continued impact of hostilities on the healthcare system in Lebanon.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, night strikes on 1 June killed five people and injured 48 others, including a doctor and five hospital workers in Tebnine Governmental Hospital, which is in Nabatieh Governorate. This marks at least the fourth strike since 2 March affecting this hospital, which is the only operating trauma hospital in that area.
We and our partners continue to deliver assistance wherever and whenever possible, including clean water, hygiene kits and other forms of aid to the people who need it most. We continue to call for the protection of civilians, including health workers, and for sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access wherever it is needed.
Meanwhile, UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers continue to monitor the tense situation along the Blue Line.
Yesterday, they observed intensive ground and air activities by the Israel Defense Forces across their area of operations. These activities included armored movements, large-scale engineering works and demolition, sustained logistical traffic, as well as air strikes.
They detected 70 violations of Lebanese airspace by the IDF and approximately 24 airstrikes conducted across both sectors by Israeli fighter jets, as well as one rocket attack from an IDF helicopter.
They also detected 21 launches of projectiles from north to south, presumably launched by Hizbullah, including one that crossed the Blue Line. In addition, UNIFIL recorded approximately 826 trajectories of projectiles fired from IDF positions south of the Blue Line and within the area of operations, marking, for the third consecutive day, a concerning record since 17 April.
The escalating intensity and growing number of IDF strikes in south Lebanon, alongside the continued launches by Hizbullah, are deeply alarming and of course heighten the risk of even further escalation. We call on parties to exercise maximum restraint, respect the cessation of hostilities arrangements and fully comply with their obligations under Security Council resolution 1701.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, our humanitarian colleagues and our logistics partners tell us that convoys travelling to Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem to collect humanitarian cargo via the newly established Israeli checkpoint in southern Gaza are still facing significant delays.
Those delays yesterday prevented six fuel tankers from reaching Kerem Shalom, which significantly reduced the volume of fuel that could be collected from the crossing. A steady flow of fuel is critical to keep hospitals, desalination plants and other life-sustaining services running, in the absence of a functioning electricity grid.
However, partners did manage to collect over 1,000 pallets of essential supplies yesterday, including hygiene kits, tarpaulins, blankets and medicines.
On the health front, over the past two weeks, nearly 100 patients, along with about 130 caregivers, were evacuated abroad from Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners.
Meanwhile, thousands of patients still require specialized medical care that is not available inside Gaza. Referral pathways to medical facilities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remains blocked by the Israeli authorities.
Scaling up health services in Gaza is urgently needed, and this requires facilitating the entry of more critical equipment and medical supplies.
Our partners leading on water report that the overall water production in Gaza dropped by about 20 per cent in May compared with two months earlier, largely due to the shortages of chemicals and spare parts for the pumps.
**Yemen
And flagging the pretty dire situation in Yemen, today the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) jointly called on the international community to urgently scale up funding for humanitarian food assistance, nutrition services, health, agriculture and resilience programming.
This call comes as the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis shows that nearly 5 million people, one in two people across twelve Government-controlled areas of the country, experienced high levels of acute food insecurity between March and May of this year.
The outlook, sadly, is expected to worsen.
An estimated 5.4 million people living in the Government-controlled areas including Aden, Hadramawt, Ma’rib and Ta’iz are projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between June and September 2026; that is IPC Phase 3 or above, meaning people are already struggling to meet basic food needs.
The agencies warned that without immediate, sustained and scaled-up action, millions of vulnerable people risk falling deeper into hunger, malnutrition and irreversible livelihood loss.
And just to flag that in March, we and our humanitarian partners published the 2026 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, seeking $2.16 billion to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to 12 million people across Yemen.
**Mauritania
And in Mauritania, our Central Emergency [Response] Fund has released $2.5 million to help communities prepare for and mitigate the impact of severe drought.
The new funds will allow the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme, UNICEF and our partners to immediately support around 120,000 people, ahead of projected severe drought conditions.
This support includes sharing critical early warning messages; providing drought-resistant seeds, cash assistance and livestock feed; and preventing malnutrition among children.
This funding is being released ahead of the drought so we and our partners can prepare and plan and act before it actually impacts.
**Sahel
And turning to the broader Sahel, OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) tells us that 24 million people across the region need humanitarian aid.
This year’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Overview warns that the crisis is deepening across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, northern Cameroon and north-east Nigeria.
Violence continues to spread, with armed groups expanding their reach across the Central Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin. Communities, as you know, are being uprooted, while schools and health centres are being forced to close.
Climate shocks are compounding the suffering. The Sahel is warming faster than the global average. In 2025 alone, devastating floods affected 590,000 people, while droughts and desertification are destroying farmland impacting millions of people who depend on these areas for their livelihoods.
We and our humanitarian partners are exploring new ways to expand cash assistance, strengthening anticipatory action, and providing greater support to local organizations.
But last year, the Sahel response received its lowest level of funding in a decade, with only 29 per cent of the needed resources received.
As needs rise, the humanitarian community urgently needs flexible and predictable funding to sustain life-saving operations across the region.
**Ebola
A quick Ebola update for you; our friend Dr. Tedros [Adhanom Ghebreyesus], the Head of the World Health Organization (WHO), is back from his visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and today, he updated your colleagues in Geneva.
In Bunia, he said, there are now three treatment centres with a capacity of 80 beds. There are also treatment units in Mongbwalu, Rwampara, Beni, Goma and Bukavu, with more on the way.
Dr. Tedros also highlighted challenges to the response, including the need to scale up lab and diagnostic capacity, surveillance, as well as health services in neighbouring provinces and countries.
He also reiterated that insecurity, the high number of displaced people in the area where the outbreak is occurring and mobile populations are making contact tracing especially difficult.
In addition to this, Dr. Tedros said community mistrust is a serious barrier to the response. He also called on countries that have imposed blanket travel restrictions imposed to lift them, as it is disrupting supply chains and hindering our response.
**Haiti
And closer to these shores, in Haiti, rising insecurity continues to force more people to flee, particularly in the Artibonite department.
Our friends at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) report that on 29 May, more than 1,800 people — that’s about 400 households, we estimate — were displaced from the commune of Saint-Marc. The displaced families have taken refuge with host communities.
We and our partners have distributed food, cash and other essential items, but there are critical gaps in the areas of health, protection, education and nutrition.
Meanwhile, in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, the armed violence in Cité Soleil that began on 10 May has now displaced some 17,500 people.
We and our humanitarian partners have distributed thousands of sleeping mats, mattresses, tarpaulins and mosquito nets.
More than 9,500 people have also received food assistance, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene support. Our partners have provided hundreds of medical consultations, including psychosocial support. They’ve also established child-friendly spaces.
OCHA continues to coordinate humanitarian efforts to support the response, but warns, once again, that needs are rising rapidly in the face of insecurity.
**Resident Coordinator — Colombia
And today, our UN Development Coordination Office tells us that, following host Government approval, the Secretary-General has appointed Maria Jose Torres Macho of Spain as the new Resident Coordinator in Colombia.
And she took up her post today, 3 June. She has more than three decades of experience in development, humanitarian action and peacebuilding. Ms. Torres Macho, as you know, will serve as the Secretary-General’s representative on the ground on development issues and will lead the UN country team, and we congratulate her.
**World Bicycle Day
I made a mistake today. I know, surprise! I walked to work instead of biking, because today is […] World Bicycle Day, exactly!
What has been helping people move forward for more than 200 years and remains one of the simplest, most affordable and sustainable ways to get around. Today is World Bicycle Day. Walking or cycling instead of driving is good for the planet and benefits our health.
Question from Journalist: Does that include e-bikes by the way?
Spokesman: Yes, it’s better to be on an e-bike than to drive a diesel-powered car, Benny. We will go to Ephrem now that you asked your questions, Benny. You will come back, I know.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Hi, Steph, thank you so much. Just a quick question. Do you have any update for us on Mr. Jean Arnault’s activities right now, given that you mentioned the importance of diplomacy?
Spokesman: I don’t have any. I know he was supposed to go… He may be in Washington in the next couple of days, but let me get you an update.
Question: Just a quick clarification on Yemen. I mean, I can look up the numbers later, but you said 5 million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, and then an estimated 5.4 million are projected to face high levels of food insecurity. Are these additional 5.4 million, or…?
Spokesman: Yes, it’s more than the 5 million. I think the first set of numbers is what is happening, and the second set is what will happen, what we anticipate will happen. Alex?
Question: Thanks, Steph. Sorry, I was a little bit late. Do you have any comments on the elections of the non-permanent members of the Security Council, by any chance?
Spokesman: Well, we congratulate the newly elected members who have, as elected members, a very important role to play in the Security Council.
Question: May I have one more?
Spokesman: Please.
Question: On a completely different topic, on Bucha, I know that there was a letter by [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov, like, middle of May. Do you have any updates?
Spokesman: That’s a very good question. I’ve been meaning to check, but you’re prompting me to actually check. Mr. Avni?
Question: So, speaking of Arnault, he visited Tehran, when was it, two months ago? Was it? He visited Tehran. Today, or yesterday, Marco Rubio said, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, that all indications are that Mojtaba Khamenei is alive. Is that Mr. Arnault’s impression, as well?
Spokesman: Mr. Arnault did not meet with Mr. Khamenei, so we have no information to share, one way or another.
Question: Any indication whether he’s alive or dead?
Spokesman: We have no indication one way or another.
Question: And a second question on two issues that I don’t think were mentioned in the upfront. One, is there any comment on Hizbullah’s attack on Kiryat Shmona, despite whatever understandings there were between the two sides?
Spokesman: We clearly have condemned all of these strikes and will continue to do so. I mean, the Secretary-General’s call has been for a cessation of hostilities, for people in southern Lebanon and in northern Israel to be able to return home and resume their lives.
Question: And secondly, on speaking of the ceasefire war, on the Iranian attack on Kuwait this morning, that… on the airport.
Spokesman: You may have been playing Sudoku on your phone when I read out the first statement, which covered that pretty extensively, Benny.
Correspondent: I don’t do Sudoku.
Spokesman: I know. I’m sure, I won’t ask. All right, no questions online. I will leave you back to your activities and whatever you’re doing on your phone, Benny.