South Lebanon: UN force sounds alarm over Israeli ‘destruction’

The United Nations’ peacekeeping force in Lebanon yesterday expressed concern at the “continuing” damage done by Israeli forces in the country’s south despite a ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah.

The truce went into effect on November 27, about two months after Israel stepped up its bombing campaign and later sent troops into Lebanon following nearly a year of exchanges of cross-border fire initiated by Hezbollah over the war in Gaza.

The warring sides have since traded accusations of violating the truce.

Under the ceasefire agreement, UNIFIL peacekeepers and the Lebanese army were to redeploy in south Lebanon, near the Israeli border, as Israeli forces withdrew over 60 days.

UNIFIL said in a statement yesterday that “there is concern at continuing destruction by the IDF (army) in residential areas, agricultural land and road networks in south Lebanon”.

The statement added that “this is in violation of Resolution 1701”, which was adopted by the UN Security Council and ended the last Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006.

The UN force also reiterated its call for “the timely withdrawal” of Israeli troops from Lebanon, and “the full implementation of Resolution 1701”.

The resolution states that Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only forces in south Lebanon, where Hezbollah exerts control, and also calls for Israeli troops to withdraw from Lebanese territory.