Beirut- Along the border between Lebanon And north Palestine“International peacekeeping forces are deployed.”UNIFIL“In the south, it is a temporary emergency force affiliated with the United Nations, and in accordance with two resolutions issued by Security Council On March 19, 1978, the Blue Berets arrived in Lebanon.
46 years have passed since UNIFIL was in existence South Lebanon. After the end of the July 2006 war, it strengthened its deployment in the entire area north of the Litani River, up to the border with Israel, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution No. (1701), in which it approved increasing the size of the forces to 15,000 soldiers distributed among 40 different nationalities, then decreasing to 10. Thousands.
The most prominent tasks of UNIFIL forces are:
- Providing monitoring of the Blue Line 24 hours a day through 46 sites and 46 fixed monitoring centers, and 225 daily patrols day and night, in addition to daily patrols by helicopters along this line.
- Assisting the Lebanese Army in seizing illegal weapons and ammunition.
- Resist and deter any attack, protect its numbers and equipment, and ensure the safety of their movements and the safety of civilians in the region.
- Providing training for the Lebanese Army.
- Providing assistance to the local community in the areas of development, health care, and social participation.
Today, in light of the military escalation in the south in connection with the Israeli aggression against Gaza strip after operation”Al-Aqsa flood“The current situation is described as tense, flammable and expanding at any moment.
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti says, “We witness daily exchanges of fire along the Blue Line using heavy weapons by both sides. Several villages close to the line have been severely damaged, dozens of civilians have been injured and killed, and thousands of Lebanese have been displaced.”
Tenenti added to Al Jazeera Net, “As peacekeepers, we are concerned about the current situation and the possibility of escalation that could also arise as a result of miscalculation, which is difficult to predict.”
Regarding their current role in southern Lebanon, Tenenti explains that the international forces are still carrying out their tasks in the same spirit in which they began from day one, and that these tasks have become more urgent now, and he called on all parties to exercise restraint.
He said, “We have modified our field activities to focus more on patrols and enhancing communication with concerned parties, in addition to supporting the Lebanese army and local communities in the villages of southern Lebanon, and various activities such as projects distributing electricity generators and water pumps, and medical support, including veterinarians and dentists.”
The UNIFIL spokesman continued, “All of this continues on an almost daily basis, and the local population and the Lebanese army continue to be supported in terms of training, taking into account safety and security in this sensitive period of time.”
Calm down
Tenenti confirms that all current efforts are being made with the aim of calming the situation and restoring stability. The head of the UNIFIL mission and its Commander-in-Chief, Major General Aroldo Lazaro, has also been working since the beginning of the crisis to maintain effective channels of communication between the parties concerned, namely the Lebanese authority and army and the Israeli army.
He points out that UNIFIL represents the only agency that has the actual ability to coordinate and dialogue with the two parties in an area where the borders are not clearly defined. He says, “We are striving to calm the situation, enhance communication, and send messages between the parties to prevent any serious misunderstandings.”
He added that the concerned authorities expressed their unwillingness to escalate the conflict, noting that there is a constant possibility of escalation and miscalculation in light of the developments that the region has experienced during the last three months.
The spokesman called on all parties to effectively adhere to the provisions of Resolution (1701), “not only by verbal statements, but by taking effective ceasefire measures and sitting at the negotiating table to work to find a political and diplomatic solution.”
UNIFIL forces were not spared from the ongoing Israeli aggression against various border villages and towns, most notably the hit of the control tower of the Spanish unit in the eastern sector by a shell fired by an Israeli tank, on January 9, 2023, which did not result in casualties, after Israeli fire had hit a patrol vehicle. UNIFIL on 25 November 2023.
Tenenti says, “Our headquarters in Naqoura and other sites in southern Lebanon were attacked with gunfire and explosives more than 20 times. Three peacekeepers suffered injuries that were not serious. We constantly stress to all parties that targeting sites United nations “Or using areas near our positions to launch attacks across the Blue Line is unacceptable and constitutes a violation of Resolution 1701.”
He continued, “Since most of our sites – more than 50 sites – are located near the Blue Line, what we do is of great importance and requires ensuring the safety and security of all our components.”
Challenges
For his part, the mayor of Khiam, Adnan Alyan, said that UNIFIL forces are charged with maintaining peace and protecting civilians, but they “face great challenges in the face of daily infiltration by the Zionist enemy without any deterrence.”
Alyan added to Al Jazeera Net, “Currently, the forces are finding it difficult to carry out their basic tasks in maintaining peace and ensuring the safety of civilians due to the tense situation, as a control tower at the Balozani reconnaissance point was bombed.”
He explained that these forces provide aid on an annual basis, and sometimes, the countries participating in them provide gifts and medical and agricultural services. He stressed that its main concern is to avoid bombing civilians and to comply with international laws that prohibit such actions.
Alian called for an end to the war in Gaza, “because it is the main cause of all tensions.” He stressed that when it is stopped, “things will return to normal as they were before in southern Lebanon.”
In turn, Hassan Hammoud, Vice President of the Union of Municipalities of Tire District, described to Al Jazeera Net the role of UNIFIL forces during periods of escalation in southern Lebanon as “routine” and “mainly focused on monitoring and control.”
He said that its primary role “is to support civil defense, health and scouting bodies to rescue civilians or withdraw martyrs as a result of Israeli bombing.”
According to Hammoud, “All forces provide assistance to local residents in the areas of development, health care, and social contributions, including donations for women, school improvements, and cooperation with the Lebanese army.”
