The UN peacekeeping force operating in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced on Friday that the Israeli army has built walls in the southern part of the country, which extend beyond the so-called blue line. However, Israel has denied these accusations. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
- The UN accused Israel of crossing the blue line in Lebanon.
- The blue line separates Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights.
- UNIFIL considers Israel’s walls a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.
- The Israeli military says the walls do not cross the Blue Line.
- Resolution of the Security Council no. 1701 supports a ceasefire in the area.
The Blue Line is an unofficial demarcation line that separates Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights. The UN established it in June 2000, reminds TASR.
Violation of sovereignty
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon, which is working with the Lebanese army to support a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which the parties reached last November, called the moves a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.
UNIFIL said in a statement that in October it surveyed “a (inverted) T-shaped concrete wall built by the Israel Defense Forces southwest of Yaroun village. The survey confirmed that the wall crosses the Blue Line, rendering more than 4,000 square meters of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese.” In November, peacekeepers observed another similar construction of a wall in the area.
Israeli position
AFP managed to obtain a statement from the Israeli army. “The wall is part of a broader (Israeli military) plan and its construction began in 2022. Since the beginning of the war – also as part of the lessons learned from it – (the Israeli army) has been implementing a series of measures, including strengthening the physical barrier along the northern border… It must be emphasized that the wall does not cross the blue line,” the army said in its statement.
According to the ceasefire agreement, Israel was supposed to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon. But it has kept them in five areas it considers strategic, where it continues to launch regular attacks on Lebanon, arguing that they target Hezbollah bases and members.
Resolution of the UN Security Council
UNIFIL said that “Israeli presence and construction on Lebanese territory violates Security Council Resolution 1701 and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon.” The aforementioned resolution ended the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
This resolution also laid the groundwork for the cease-fire last November, which aimed to end the more than a year-long armed conflict between Israel and the Lebanese movement.
UNIFIL said it informed the Israeli army of its findings and asked it to move the walls. “We reiterate our call on the Israeli army to respect the Blue Line along its entire length and to withdraw from all areas north of it,” UNIFIL said in a statement.
