The United Nations peacekeeping contingent operating in southern Lebanon has vocalized grave concerns regarding what it describes as the Israeli military’s “intentional and overt destruction” of its assets. This, they assert, constitutes a “blatant breach” of international law.
This considerable UN force, known as UNIFIL, consists of around 10,000 personnel dedicated to observing tensions along the ‘blue line,’ which delineates the boundary between Lebanon and Israel.
Among these peacekeepers, a contingent of 340 personnel hail from Ireland.
Following Israel’s initiation of a ground offensive against Hezbollah militants at the end of September, UNIFIL has repeatedly charged the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with launching deliberate assaults on its facilities. These accusations include shooting at peacekeeping personnel and the destruction of watchtowers.
Moreover, the IDF has controversially claimed that UN troops are acting as a human shield for Hezbollah fighters. They have demanded that UNIFIL withdraw from southern Lebanon for the safety of their forces—a request that UNIFIL has firmly denied.
In its most recent allegations, UNIFIL reported that the IDF utilized excavators and a bulldozer to ruin part of a fence and a concrete structure at a peacekeeping site in southern Lebanon just yesterday.
Peacekeepers also noted that Israeli soldiers, earlier this week, were seen removing a barrel that signifies the ‘blue line.’
In a statement released yesterday, UNIFIL declared: “The actions taken by two IDF excavators and one bulldozer resulted in the destruction of a fence and concrete structures in our position at Ras Naqoura. When we raised an urgent protest, the IDF denied conducting any activity within the UNIFIL premises.”
– UNIFIL on Twitter (@UNIFIL_) November 8, 2024
UNIFIL emphasized, “The IDF’s intentional and evident destruction of identifiable UNIFIL assets is not just a violation of international law but also a contravention of resolution 1701,” referring to the UN mandate established to cease hostilities following a previous conflict in the region.
They further elaborated, stating, “Yesterday’s incident, akin to seven previous occurrences, is not simply a case of peacekeepers being caught amidst crossfire; it pertains to explicit and direct actions taken by the IDF.” This plight, they assert, pushes them to remain in Lebanon “despite the unacceptable pressures being forced upon our mission.”
As of now, there has been no immediate response from the Israeli military regarding these statements.
This declaration follows an incident where six Malaysian peacekeepers endured injuries from an Israeli drone strike while in a UN bus navigating a checkpoint, also resulting in the deaths of three Lebanese individuals in a nearby vehicle.
In a separate account, the Israeli military highlighted that they had discovered a Hezbollah training facility located approximately 200 meters from a UNIFIL base in southern Lebanon, which was reportedly stocked with training materials and a significant cache of weapons.
According to Israel, this site was destroyed and was allegedly equipped with launchers primed for targeting Israeli communities.
A spokesperson for UNIFIL remarked that the Israeli military has not provided any intelligence concerning the claimed Hezbollah installation.
Israel has previously accused UNIFIL forces of ignoring Hezbollah’s advancements in constructing an extensive network of tunnels and other military infrastructure near the northern border, often positioned within sight of UNIFIL’s bases.
Israel maintains that this infrastructure is ultimately part of Hezbollah’s strategy to execute assaults against Israel—an echo of the deadly attack that transpired on October 7, 2023, carried out by Hamas.
In response, a UNIFIL spokesperson rebutted that the force has consistently reported suspicious sites to the UN Security Council. However, he pointed out that the council has yet to instruct UNIFIL to disarm any non-state armed groups, including Hezbollah.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
