UNIFIL is due to leave Lebanon by the end of 2027 after nearly half a century of presence along the Blue Line. Lebanon: An Israeli tank fired at a UN peacekeeper patrol Peace and Security
On Sunday, a foot patrol of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) came under attack from an Israeli Merkava tank while inside Lebanese territory. The explosion occurred just five meters from the peacekeepers, who had to urgently seek shelter.
Mission representatives contacted the Israel Defense Forces and demanded a ceasefire. The patrol was able to safely leave the area half an hour after the incident, when the tank withdrew to Israeli positions.
“Fortunately, no one was injured,” UNIFIL said in a statement, which also said the attack was a serious violation of Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to promote a peace settlement between Israel and the movement “Hezbollah.”However, this is the third such case in the last three months. On September 2, Israeli drones dropped four grenades near peacekeepers who were clearing the way to a UN position near the Blue Line, the buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon. On October 26, the UNIFIL mission reported that an Israeli drone had dropped a grenade near a peacekeeper patrol, followed by tank fire. “blue line”. The mission was created by the Security Council in 1978 to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon and today has some 10,500 peacekeepers, remaining a key element of the region’s relative stability. cities in southern Lebanon.
Since the cessation of hostilities in November 2024, UNIFIL has supported the deployment of the Lebanese National Army in areas where Lebanon is trying to regain control.
“We again call on the IDF to cease any aggressive actions or attacks on peacekeepers or near their positions,” UNIFIL stressed, recalling that peacekeepers are “working to restore the stability that both Israel and Lebanon strive for.”