News|Israel attacks LebanonUN peacekeepers say Israel built walls inside Lebanese territoryUNIFIL says it asked Israeli army to move walls, which cross unofficial ‘Blue Line’ border between Lebanon and Israel.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says the Israeli military has constructed walls in Lebanese territory that cross a UN-backed, unofficial “border” between the two countries.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says the Israeli military has constructed walls in Lebanese territory that cross a UN-backed, unofficial “border” between the two countries.
The statement on Friday comes as Israel has carried out near-daily attacks across Lebanon – including in the south of the country, in particular – despite a ceasefire signed a year ago with Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israeli attacks on Gaza despite ceasefire follow Lebanon patternlist 2 of 3Israel is intensifying attacks on Lebanon, is it planning another war?list 3 of 3Israeli attacks kill 3 in Lebanon as EU urges it to respect the ceasefireend of list In UNIFIL’s statement, the force said Israel had built “a concrete T-wall” southwest of Yaroun, a town in Lebanon’s southern Nabatieh district.
The wall extends across the so-called Blue Line and has made “more than 4,000 square metres [43,055sq feet] of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people”, it added.
Established in 2000, the Blue Line is a 120km (75-mile) unofficial “border” drawn up by the UN between Lebanon and Israel.
The demarcation line’s main purpose is to confirm the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanese territory as mandated by UN Security Council resolutions.
In October, UNIFIL peacekeepers conducted a geospatial survey of a concrete T-wall erected by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) southwest of Yaroun.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says the Israeli military has constructed walls in Lebanese territory that cross a UN-backed, unofficial “border” between the two countries.
In response to UNIFIL’s statement on Friday, the Israeli military told the AFP news agency that the wall “is part of a broader plan whose construction began in 2022”.
Advertisement “Since the start of the war, and as part of lessons learnt from it, the [Israeli military] has been advancing a series of measures, including reinforcing the physical barrier along the northern border,” it said.
“It should be emphasised that the wall does not cross the Blue Line,” the military added.
Despite last November’s ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army has killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 in its attacks on Lebanon, which began in October 2023 amid the Gaza war and turned into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.
As tensions increase , Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday called for an end to Israel’s military escalation in southern Lebanon, warning that it poses a threat to regional stability.
UNIFIL said “Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
“We again call on the [Israeli military] to respect the Blue Line in its full length and withdraw from all areas north of it,” it added.
Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, calls for a cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line and Lebanon’s Litani River.
Under last year’s ceasefire , the Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon in January.
But it only partially withdrew, continuing to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.
