Why UNIFIL are in the crosshairs of Israel's war on Lebanon
Analysis: The presence of UNIFIL peacekeepers is an obstacle to Israel’s plans for depopulating south Lebanon and creating a buffer zone.
24 October 2024
Beirut, Lebanon — Since launching its ground invasion, Israel has carried out a series of unlawful attacks on the UN’s peacekeeping forces, who may see them as an impediment to its plans to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
A confidential report leaked by the Financial Times on Tuesday underscored how Israeli troops have targeted UNIFIL – including by using the incendiary, internationally-banned chemical white phosphorus close to a marked UN base, injuring 15 peacekeepers.
The Israeli army also recently ploughed into and fired on UNIFIL observation towers, as well as “forcibly” entered one of UNIFIL’s positions and on a separate occasion hit a UN base with explosions, injuring two peacekeepers.
Israeli forces began directly firing on UNIFIL bases after 8 October, the leaked report said, although there had been incidents before nearby.
“Netanyahu wants to flex the Israeli military muscle and show they have the might to take Hezbollah on… UNIFIL is a nuisance to them,” Declan Power, an Irish security and defence analyst and former UNIFIL soldier, told The New Arab.
Rights watchdog groups have warned that Israel’s attacks on peacekeepers “amount to war crimes”. UN peacekeeping forces have been in southern Lebanon since 1978 to monitor the cessation of hostilities and help ensure humanitarian access to civilians. The mission is the most deadly of all UN peacekeeping operations, with 337 peacekeepers killed in hostilities since 1978.
Israel has said the UN forces are being used as “human shields” by Hezbollah, accusing the Lebanese armed group of stockpiling “large quantities of weapons” near their posts.
On 14 October – the day after Israel reportedly used white phosphorus near peacekeeping troops — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on UNIFIL to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
“The IDF has repeatedly asked for this, and has been met with repeated refusals, all aimed at providing a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists,” Netanyahu said. “Your refusal to evacuate UNIFIL soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah.”