UN chief names veteran diplomat Jan Kubis to be Lebanon envoy

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Jan Kubis, who has led UN missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, to be the new UN special coordinator in Lebanon, the UN announced on Wednesday.

Kubis, a former foreign minister of Slovakia, will take over from Pernille Dahler Kardel of Denmark, who was acting coordinator since November 2017.

Kubis served as UN envoy to Iraq from 2015 to December 2018 and led the UN mission to Afghanistan from 2011 to 2015.

The appointment comes amid tensions between Israel and Lebanon, where the United Nations has deployed a peacekeeping force to monitor the border.

Israel's army last month launched an operation to destroy tunnels dug by Hizballah militants in Lebanon to cross into Israel.

In 2006, a month-long war between Israel and Hizballah killed more than 1,200 Lebanese civilians, displaced over one million, and devastated infrastructure in the country.

Israel and Hizballah have avoided major conflict since 2006, though Israel has launched multiple attacks in neighbouring Syria targeting the powerful Shia group.

Agencies contributed to this report.