A patrol of UN peacekeepers was the target of threats in a locality in southern Lebanon, which prompted its command to call on the Lebanese army on Sunday to guarantee the security of the UN force in the region.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been deployed since 1978 in southern Lebanon - an area considered a Hezbollah stronghold - on the border with Israel to act as a buffer between the two countries, which remain technically in a state of war.
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A routine UNIFIL patrol was stopped on Saturday by "a group of men in civilian clothes" near the southern Lebanese town of Arab el-Louaizé, UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said. , adding that these men “threatened the soldiers and tried to take their weapons”.
"Attacks, threats and acts of intimidation against UNIFIL soldiers (...) are a matter of grave concern," the UN force spokesman said in a statement, " calling on the Lebanese armed forces to guarantee the safety, security and freedom of movement”
of the UN force.
Lebanese authorities have not commented on the incident.
Incidents between patrols of UNIFIL blue helmets and supporters of Hezbollah and its allies in the border areas controlled by the powerful Shiite movement are frequent.
They rarely degenerate, and are quickly contained by the Lebanese authorities and the parties concerned.
UNIFIL enjoys full freedom of movement and the right to patrol in its areas of operation, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, its spokesman said.
Composed largely of European contingents, this UN force currently numbers more than 10,000 soldiers.