The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has rejected the Israeli army's call to withdraw from its positions in the south, despite being subjected to several attacks that resulted in the injury of five of its personnel over two days.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti confirmed that the Israeli army had requested the evacuation of some of the force's positions, which are located close to the Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel, but the unanimous decision was to remain, as this step is considered necessary to ensure continued monitoring of the situation and submission of reports to the Security Council.

UNIFIL was established in March 1978 with the aim of ensuring Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, and its missions expanded after previous wars to include monitoring the ceasefire and accompanying Lebanese forces.

UNIFIL, which has about 10,000 troops, is under increasing pressure as a result of the Israeli war on Lebanon, which has escalated significantly since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.

UNIFIL accused Israeli forces of "deliberately" firing on its positions, sparking widespread international condemnation. Israel's ambassadors to France and Italy were summoned to protest the attacks, while Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto described them as "possible war crimes".

serious damage

Tenenti noted that UNIFIL forces had suffered "severe damage" to their positions, including the destruction of containers at one position due to an external explosion. He also touched on the difficult conditions in which the forces operate, noting that life inside their positions is extremely difficult due to the constant shelling.

In the same context, the UN spokesman warned that the ongoing aggression could develop into a regional war with disastrous consequences, and called for avoiding escalation through political and diplomatic dialogue. He highlighted that the ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah are hampering monitoring activities, further complicating the situation in the region.

UNIFIL reported that one of its soldiers was wounded by gunfire from an “unknown source” near its headquarters in Naqoura, raising concerns about the safety of the peacekeepers. Meanwhile, Israel continued to target Hezbollah positions, with nine people reported killed in fresh strikes in Lebanon.

On Friday, two UNIFIL Sri Lankan soldiers were injured when an Israeli tank targeted a watchtower in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura. This came a day after two other soldiers were injured when an Israeli tank deliberately fired on another UNIFIL HQ watchtower in the same town.

A UNIFIL site in the town of Labbouneh and an observation point in the Ras al-Naqoura area were also subjected to deliberate gunfire by Israeli soldiers, causing material damage.

Arab condemnations

Arab condemnations of the attacks on UNIFIL by the Israeli army continued, amid calls from Qatar to conduct an international investigation into these incidents.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its strong condemnation of the attacks, considering them a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. It called for an immediate and independent international investigation to uncover the circumstances of the attacks, calling on the international community to take effective measures to protect peacekeeping forces.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the attack on UNIFIL forces, stressing its support for Lebanon and the need to protect UN forces. Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the UAE strongly condemns the attack on international forces, and stresses the importance of supporting efforts to de-escalate the situation in the region.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli attack, describing it as a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law. It called for an immediate ceasefire, stressing the importance of providing protection for all peacekeeping forces.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also condemned the Israeli army's targeting of UNIFIL forces, stressing that the continuation of these violations without international accountability has contributed to the aggravation of the situation. It also stressed the need to hold the Israeli occupation accountable.

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the repeated Israeli bombing of UNIFIL forces, considering it a flagrant violation of international law and Security Council Resolution 1701.

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1701 on August 11, 2006, with the aim of ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah, which lasted 34 days and greatly affected the security and humanitarian situation in southern Lebanon.