In the past week, the UN has accused the Israeli military of shooting at its peacekeepers called UNIFIL(United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), forcing its way into its base, halting supplies, and wounding more than a dozen of its soldiers in southern Lebanon.
Israel has launched attacks on the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon which has been in the country serving as a UNIFI L since 1978. Spokesmen of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon have described the violations as shocking. For 45 years, have been widely condemned by the international community. United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon – the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon – has called the violations “shocking.”
Israel has accused Hezbollah of launching operations from close areas to UNIFIL posts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that forces on the ground in Lebanon, with UN blessings, are in “harm’s way.” He said he was sad that in the past week, some of the UNPI personnel were injured, and urged the secretary general of the UN, António Guterres to evacuate the peacekeepers ‘‘now.”
Guterres said that attacks on peacekeepers “may constitute a war crime.” further stating that “United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and its premises must never be targeted.” The UN has said that its troops continue to be stationed in Lebanon despite the attacks.
Here’s what to know:
What’s happened in the past week?
In the past year, Naqoura headquarters and other positions of UNIFIL. have been targeted by Israel.
Wednesday, UNIFIL reported that Israeli Defence Force soldiers purposely targeted and damaged a UN post at Labbouneh.
A tragedy was avoided by the sheerest of margins Thursday when an IDF tank fired toward an observation tower at the UNIFIL headquarters and directly hit the two peacekeepers causing them to fall.
On Friday two UNIFIL troops were hurt when two blasts took place near an observation tower. The IDF claimed it was acting in line with what it identified as an ‘immediate threat against it’, and ‘specifically demanded that UNIFIL personnel relocate’.
Later Friday, a peacekeeper was shot in Naquora due to what UNIFIL described as “military activity,” while the same organization stated UN buildings in Ramyah were “heavily affected by shelling with significant damages due to explosions.
On Saturday, UNIFIL claimed that IDF soldiers obstructed a sensitive UNIFIL logistical transfer near Meiss ej Jebel.
And early Sunday, UNIFIL said the IDF violated international law after backing its tanks into its post in Ramyah, forcibly entering the position and requesting that the base turn off its lights. The IDF later claimed a tank rolled backward into it to transport injured soldiers after an anti-tank missile attack.
Israel’s attacks have been criticized by some of its partners, including France and the UK who said it was ‘shocked’ by reports that Israel deliberately attacked the UN base last week.
What is UNIFIL?
The first documentation of the UNIFIL started after Israel’s first invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978 by the UN Security Council.
It was to see that Israel had pulled out of the country restored international peace and security and helped the government of Lebanon establish its authority in the area.
Thus in June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon for the second time and later put in place a security zone well inside Lebanon that was maintained until Israeli withdrawal in 2000.
In the year 2000, UNIFIL came up with the Blue Line an area stretching right from the south of Lebanon to 120 kilometers (75 miles) to allow for total withdrawal of the Israeli forces. They serve as the natural and unofficial dividing line between the two nations since Lebanon and Israel have a simple border conflict.
The UNIFIL forces’ mission is to patrol the border infringements and ensure that territory which includes the Hezbollah’s bases – remains safe.
Although UNIFIL is a peacekeeping mission force, one can respond with force in some circumstances Self-defense: protection of civilians under immediate threats of violence, and the protection of UN personnel facilities, and equipment.
UNIFIL peacekeeping mission is an ongoing operation reviewed and reflected by the UN Security Council annually at Lebanon’s request. The latest mandate is renewed by the Security Council until August 31, 2025.
Who makes up UNIFIL?
The mission consists of more than 10000 members including military, police, and civilians from over 50 nations of which the largest component is the troops.
Indonesia, Italy, India, Nepal, Ghana, and Malaysia are the biggest contributors. Of the other countries, Spain, China, Ireland, and France contribute significantly. Some countries that are contributing troops to UNIFIL are contributing just one troop, these include the United Kingdom, Peru, and Nigeria.
They deploy in a 410 square kilometers wide ‘security zone’ between the Blue Line and the Litani River in south Lebanon. It has fifty posts, of which the headquarters of the UNIFIL are in Naqoura in the extreme south-west of Lebanon.