File Photo: Peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ride in armoured vehicles during a patrol along the border with Israel by the village of Kfar Kila in south Lebanon. AFP
UNIFIL described the action as “unacceptable” and said it violated UN Security Council Resolution 1701, according to the German news agency DPA.
In a statement, UNIFIL said the Israeli army informed the force on Sunday morning that it would carry out an aerial operation to drop what it described as a “non-toxic chemical substance” over areas near the Blue Line.
The Israeli military instructed peacekeepers to remain at a distance and take shelter, forcing UNIFIL to cancel over 10 planned activities.
As a result, peacekeepers were unable to conduct normal operations along roughly one-third of the Blue Line and only resumed regular duties after more than nine hours.
“Peacekeepers were unable to conduct normal operations along approximately one-third of the Blue Line and were only able to resume their regular activities after more than nine hours. They assisted the Lebanese Armed Forces in collecting samples for testing to determine the level of toxicity,” the statement read.
The force declared that “the deliberate and planned actions of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) not only restricted the peacekeepers’ ability to carry out their mandated activities but also potentially endangered their health and the health of civilians.”
UNIFIL also raised concerns over the Israeli military’s deliberate actions, saying it “raised concerns about the effects of this unknown chemical substance on local agricultural lands and how this could affect the long-term return of civilians to their homes and livelihoods,” adding: “This is not the first time the IDF have dropped unknown chemical substances from their aircraft over Lebanon.”
“We continue to remind the IDF that its overflights of Lebanon constitute a violation of Resolution 1701, and that any activity that endangers peacekeepers and civilians is a matter of grave concern,” UNIFIL said.
The force called on the Israeli military to “once again cease all such activities and to cooperate with the peacekeepers to support the stability we are all working to achieve.”
UNIFIL was established in 1978 under UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 to confirm Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and security, and assist the Lebanese government in reasserting authority in the south.
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