UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the mission will document potential breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law and compile findings for future reporting. He said the team would assess conduct by all sides to the conflict.

“It’s the first time that we are sending this assessment mission, and the idea is indeed to look at violations by all parties — violations of international law, violations of international human rights law, and to document this, and eventually to report back to you on our findings,” Türk said.

The announcement came as Israeli strikes continued across southern Lebanon, including an attack on Wednesday that hit the centre of the city of Sidon, according to an AFP correspondent and Lebanese state media.

The conflict in Lebanon escalated after March 2, when Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, launched rockets toward Israel in solidarity with Iran during heightened regional tensions. Israel responded with a sustained air and ground campaign across southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities and UN accounts cited in the report.

The UN says more than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, while over one million people have been displaced since the escalation. Despite a US-announced ceasefire on April 16, Lebanon says hostilities have continued, including nearly 3,500 Israeli strikes since the truce.

The United Nations also warned of worsening humanitarian conditions, estimating that about 1.24 million people in Lebanon could face crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity through August.

Separately on Wednesday, a strike was reported in Sidon, where witnesses said an explosion was followed by a burning vehicle and emergency crews rushing to the scene. The incident underscored the continued volatility in southern Lebanon as international efforts to stabilize the situation remain limited.

The UN assessment mission is expected to focus on documenting incidents across multiple fronts in order to establish an evidentiary record of alleged violations by all parties to the conflict.