ReportWire

Tag: United Nations Interim Force

  • UN says peacekeepers came under Israeli fire in southern Lebanon

    [ad_1]

    The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Wednesday that Israeli forces fired multiple bursts of machine-gun fire near a UN peacekeeping patrol along the UN-demarcated Blue Line, causing no casualties.

    The Israeli military later said that the shots were not aimed at the peacekeepers but at a suspect.

    UNIFIL said peacekeepers in vehicles were conducting a routine patrol near the village of Sarda on Tuesday when an Israeli Merkava tank opened fire.

    “One burst of 10 rounds was fired over the patrol, followed by four additional 10-round bursts landing nearby,” the statement said.

    The mission said the peacekeepers immediately contacted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) through UNIFIL liaison channels to demand an end to the shooting.

    “Attacks on or near peacekeepers constitute a serious violation of Resolution 1701,” the statement said, urging Israel to halt what UNIFIL called aggressive behaviour toward forces mandated to maintain stability along the frontier. UN Resolution 1701 ended the 2006 Lebanon War.

    UNIFIL noted that both the tank and the patrol were located inside Lebanese territory at the time.

    Israel: Warning shots by soldiers at suspect

    The IDF said in a statement that soldiers had identified a suspect approaching an Israeli base and fired warning shots at him.

    “During the warning fire, UNIFIL forces contacted the IDF claiming they heard gunfire in their direction. It was clarified to them that the fire was not aimed at them or in their direction, but at the approaching threat in the area,” the IDF said.

    The military emphasized that it was not acting against UN troops and would continue to cooperate extensively with their representatives.

    Repeated violations of ceasefire

    The incident comes amid a period of Israeli military activity along the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Israel has been carrying almost daily strikes against pro-Iranian Hezbollah positions.

    Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024 after more than a year of cross-border fire, though both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the deal since then.

    A key element of the ceasefire agreement is the disarmament of Hezbollah, a politically sensitive process that has been sought unsuccessfully in Lebanon for decades.

    Israel and its northern neighbour remain formally in a state of war. Lebanon’s president recently signalled openness to new negotiations with Israel.

    UNIFIL reiterated that its personnel remain committed to preventing further deterioration and maintaining channels of communication between the parties.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • UN says peacekeepers came under Israeli fire in southern Lebanon

    [ad_1]

    The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Wednesday that Israeli forces fired multiple bursts of machine-gun fire near a UN peacekeeping patrol along the UN-demarcated Blue Line, causing no casualties.

    “Attacks on or near peacekeepers constitute a serious violation of Resolution 1701,” the statement said, urging Israel to halt what UNIFIL called aggressive behaviour toward forces mandated to maintain stability along the frontier. UN Resolution 1701 ended the 2006 Lebanon War.

    According to a statement, peacekeepers in vehicles were conducting a routine patrol near the village of Sarda on Tuesday when an Israeli Merkava tank opened fire.

    “One burst of 10 rounds was fired over the patrol, followed by four additional 10-round bursts landing nearby,” the statement said.

    The mission said the peacekeepers immediately contacted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) through UNIFIL liaison channels to demand an end to the shooting.

    UNIFIL noted that both the tank and the patrol were located inside Lebanese territory at the time.

    The incident comes amid a period of Israeli military activity along the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Israel has been carrying almost daily strikes against Pro-Iranian Hezbollah positions.

    Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024 after more than a year of cross-border fire, though both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the deal since then.

    A key element of the ceasefire agreement is the disarmament of Hezbollah, a politically sensitive process that has been sought unsuccessfully in Lebanon for decades.

    Israel and its northern neighbour remain formally in a state of war. Lebanon’s president recently signalled openness to new negotiations with Israel.

    UNIFIL reiterated that its personnel remain committed to preventing further deterioration and maintaining channels of communication between the parties.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • UNIFIL says Israeli wall crosses de facto Lebanon border

    [ad_1]

    The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon reportedly informed the IDF that the wall made nearly an acre of land inaccessible to the local population.

    A survey conducted by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon last month found that a wall built by the Israeli military crosses the Blue Line, the de facto border, a UN spokesperson said on Friday

    The Blue Line is a UN-mapped line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights.

    Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said the concrete T-wall erected by the IDF has made more than 4,000 square meters (nearly an acre) of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the local population.

    A section of an additional wall, which has also crossed the Blue Line, is being erected southeast of Yaroun, he said, citing the peacekeepers.

    UNIFIL requested the removal of the wall

    Dujarric said UNIFIL informed the Israeli military of its findings and requested that the wall be removed.

    UN PEACEKEEPERS (UNIFIL) are seen in southern Lebanon from the Israeli side of the border, earlier this week. (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)

    “Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” UNIFIL said in a separate statement.

    An Israeli military spokesperson denied the wall crossed the Blue Line.

    “The wall is part of a broader IDF plan whose construction began in 2022. Since the start of the war, and as part of lessons learned from it, the IDF has been advancing a series of measures, including reinforcing the physical barrier along the northern border,” the spokesperson said.

    UNIFIL, established in 1978, operates between the Litani River in the north and the Blue Line in the south. The mission has more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries and about 800 civilian staff, according to its website.

    [ad_2]

    Source link