The UNIFIL peacekeepers reported that one of their vehicles sustained significant damage when an Israeli Merkava battle tank twice rammed into it on the road in Bayada, southern Lebanon. The Israeli soldiers were blockading a road regularly used by the UNIFIL for patrols.
The UNIFIL noted that Israeli troops have hindered UNIFIL movements along such roads increasingly in recent days, and that there are growing numbers of restrictions on the peacekeepers’ freedom of movement within their area of operation, in violation of their mandate.
The UNIFIL said Israel was violating its obligations under UN Security Council resolution 1701, and the Malaysian government, for their part, issued a statement strongly condemning the use of force against UNIFIL assets. Malaysia has deployed a substantial number of peacekeepers as part of the UNIFIL mission over the years.
UNIFIL personnel patrol southern Lebanon | Image is Public Domain
The IDF said they were “aware” of the incident but that they are not operating “against” the UNIFIL forces. They did, however, say that the peacekeepers should avoid movement in active combat zones “for their safety.”
The UNIFIL’s mandate stretches from the Blue Line border with Israel to the Litani River. Given this exact area has been occupied militarily by Israel and an evacuation order spanning the entire area has already been issue, in practice the entire area is treated by Israel as an “active combat zone.”
Israeli forces have regularly targeted UNIFIL personnel in their operations in Lebanon, killing one peacekeeper in an artillery strike late last month. Israel has complained about the peacekeepers for years as a “barrier to operations” in southern Lebanon.
Israel has petitioned hard for an end to the UN mandate for the UNIFIL, and this year, while the mandate was renewed again, the US pushed the idea that this would be absolutely the last time, and that the peacekeepers will eventually be removed from the area.
