A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Maroun al Ras shows a concrete barrier wall. AFP
President Joseph Aoun instructed Foreign Minister Youssef Raji to direct Lebanon’s permanent mission to the United Nations to submit the complaint, calling Israel’s construction a dangerous breach of the internationally recognized line separating the two countries since Israel’s withdrawal in 2000.
Aoun requested that the complaint include UN-issued reports documenting the encroachment, which he said contradict Israel’s denials and prove that the wall blocks more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese land, preventing residents from accessing their property.
According to the reports, UNIFIL—the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon—formally notified Israel that the wall must be removed, stressing that its continued presence amounts to a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and of Lebanon’s territorial integrity.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed Friday that a UNIFIL survey conducted last month found sections of the concrete T-wall built by the Israeli military had crossed the Blue Line. Another segment of the wall under construction southeast of Yaroun was also determined to extend beyond the border.
“Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” UNIFIL said.
In a statement issued Friday, UNIFIL said the wall near Yaroun had rendered thousands of square meters of Lebanese agricultural land inaccessible to residents.
Peacekeepers also observed “additional construction” this month, with new segments again extending beyond the Blue Line.
UNIFIL spokesperson Dany Ghafary expressed growing concern that Israel’s border activities could spark renewed tensions, noting that the continued Israeli military presence in parts of southern Lebanon is obstructing the implementation of Resolution 1701.
The peacekeeping force—comprising more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries—has repeatedly called on Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory and dismantle all structures installed beyond the Blue Line.
The wall is only the latest in a series of Israeli breaches of the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024. Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in southern Lebanon and other regions over the past year, including strikes on UNIFIL positions, while maintaining positions and buffer zones inside Lebanese territory.
Israeli media have also reported that the Israeli military is constructing a new two-kilometre wall inside Lebanon, behind the Blue Line, opposite Maroun al-Ras and Ayta al-Shaab.
Beirut says such actions represent an attempt to impose new de facto borders by force.
In his directive, President Aoun emphasized that continued Israeli construction and occupation of Lebanese lands cannot be tolerated, urging the UN Security Council to act to protect Lebanon’s sovereignty and compel Israel to comply with its international obligations.
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