This week, Israeli strikes on UN peacekeeping posts in southern Lebanon have heightened serious apprehensions regarding the safety of international troops. The UN has indicated that while troop operations will be limited, they will not evacuate the area.
The determination shown by Irish soldiers to remain at UN post 6-52, despite Israeli forces establishing a firing position nearby, has been interpreted by many Lebanese as a demonstration of “courage and determination,” according to David Wood, a senior Lebanon analyst with the International Crisis Group.
On Tuesday, Israeli tanks withdrew from the vicinity of UN post 6-52, only for the Israeli Defence Forces to subsequently target other UN positions.
“The safety and security of our peacekeepers is increasingly at risk,” remarked Nick Birnback, who heads strategic communications for UN Peacekeeping.
UNIFIL continues to play a “critical role” in fostering stability and serving as a “reliable channel for communications and deconfliction” between Israeli and Lebanese armed forces, he noted.
According to UN officials, UN troops provide the only protection for humanitarian convoys seeking to reach the thousands of civilians caught in the conflict zone, and they have stated they will not leave.
On Thursday, the UN labeled the “repeated” and “deliberate” assaults on UNIFIL positions as a “grave violation of international humanitarian law.”
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has called for a cessation of weapons sales to Israel.
This situation has sparked widespread condemnation from countries contributing UN peacekeepers, among others.
Both France and Italy summoned Israeli ambassadors to discuss the situation.
The Italian Defence Minister, Guido Crosetto, stated that the attacks – which resulted in injuries to Indonesian and Sri Lankan troops this week – “could constitute a war crime.”
Furthermore, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged the international community to stop supplying weapons to Israel.
In a related development, the United States, Israel’s primary ally, addressed the situation during a call between US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, on Thursday evening.
“I urged ensuring the safety of UNIFIL forces and coordinating efforts to transition from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible,” Mr. Austin remarked in a post on X.
As international pressure mounts, the Israeli army announced its intention to conduct a “thorough review at the highest level,” expressing “deep concern” about the incident.
Nevertheless, the military offensive continues in Southern Lebanon.
People viewing the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon.
Israel’s declared goal is to push Hezbollah fighters away from the border and facilitate the return of 60,000 displaced Israelis to their homes in the northern part of the country.
In reaction to the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s retaliatory bombardment of Gaza, Hezbollah has escalated rocket attacks on Israeli territory, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel responded with airstrikes on Lebanon, explosive raids against Hezbollah operatives, and a recent ground incursion that has resulted in hundreds of Lebanese casualties and the displacement of over a million people.
Israeli officials have frequently criticized UNIFIL for its inability to prevent Hezbollah activities in the border region, asserting that Israel has had to take matters into its own hands.
“UNIFIL has been an outright failure,” stated Israeli government spokesman David Mencer, “as evidenced by the more than 10,000 rockets our country has received from Hezbollah.”
However, according to Ian Johnstone, a professor of international law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, it is not UNIFIL’s role to forcibly disarm militants.
“UNIFIL was not designed to resolve the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah,” he noted.
Its purpose was to provide a degree of security “with the hope and expectation that the political situation would resolve itself,” he added.
UN officials reiterated that UNIFIL is the only protection for humanitarian convoys attempting to assist the thousands of civilians in the conflict zone.
Under Security Council Resolution 1701, established in 2006 after the Israel-Lebanon war, UNIFIL is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire agreement and assisting the Lebanese army in establishing a buffer zone.
The language of the resolution stipulates the “establishment of an area between the Blue Line and the Litani River free of any armed personnel, assets, and weapons, except those of the Government of Lebanon and UNIFIL deployed in this area.”
The resolution does not grant UNIFIL the authority to unilaterally use force, emphasized David Wood of the International Crisis Group.
“Hezbollah has clearly violated Resolution 1701 by maintaining armed fighters south of the Litani River over the past 18 years, but Israel has also breached the resolution numerous times,” he remarked, citing violations such as aircraft flyovers in Lebanese airspace.
While UNIFIL is permitted to monitor and report violations of the agreement, engaging in forceful action would require a very different mandate from the Security Council—one that is unlikely to be approved.
“It’s difficult to envision any troop-contributing countries being willing to implement such measures,” Ian Johnstone stated.
When the resolution was crafted in 2006, “the drafters understood that forcibly disarming Hezbollah was implausible, and no one was going to shoot down Israeli aircraft,” he mentioned.
If the conflicting parties do not uphold the resolution’s provisions, there is little that UNIFIL can do, according to UN officials.
Nevertheless, while the peacekeeping presence may not resolve the conflict, it can help prevent further escalation, according to Ian Johnstone.
“It acts as the eyes and ears of the international community, serving as a sort of tripwire,” he explained.
“A presence can contribute to creating an environment conducive to reducing levels of violence,” he concluded.
