Lebanon: UN peacekeepers help disadvantaged communities

“This condition is very volatile, very dangerous, and you know, we see this situation for us as peacekeepers, also for civilians who are still in certain areas, because there were civilians who chose to stay and the peacekeepers supported them any way we can,” UNIFILE said spokesperson Kandice Ardiel UN News.

This assistance involves coordinating and delivering humanitarian aid, he explained, speaking from the force’s headquarters in Naqoura, southwest Lebanon.

Peacekeepers also help relocate civilians to safer areas upon request and continue to carry out patrols to monitor the situation and provide reassurance to those who remain.

battlefield

During our interview with Ms. Ardiel, gunshots were heard in the background.

An estimated 2,000 villagers still live near the Blue Line which separated Israel from Lebanon.

“These villages are clearly in a very difficult position. They are increasingly cut off from the rest of Lebanon, and they are having difficulty getting supplies,” explained Ms. Ardiel. “So, there are agencies that help provide food, medicine and hygiene supplies to those in the south, and UNIFIL helps coordinate their movements to ensure that they can get to the places they need to go safely.”

In addition to recording rocket and missile fire, the UN mission also reported Israeli troop movements in southern Lebanon and frequent violations of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 – Critical UN Security Council text adopted in 2006 calling for a complete cessation of hostilities.

Read our Resolution 1701 explanation here.

“We have seen many Israeli attacks on South Lebanon in various areas, including near our base in Naqoura,” said Mrs. Ardiel. “About a week ago and in the last few days, we saw very heavy fighting that we could hear going on.”

Peacekeeping commitment

Ms. Ardiel emphasized that, unless the Security Council’s mandate to UNIFIL changes, The peacekeepers were determined to stay and continue their mission: “Unfortunately, this is not the first time one of our positions has experienced losses, attacks and damage due to the ongoing violence.”

Point of impact

UNIFIL’s headquarters was seen damaged by bullets, shrapnel and rockets, while Israeli military operations were visible in several areas, in Naqoura and further east.

“This is of course a violation of Resolution 1701. Every projectile fired, every bullet, this is also a violation, which continues to come from both sides,” stressed the UNIFIL spokesperson.

“It is very dangerous for peacekeepers to operate right now,” Ardiel concluded, “but this is something we are doing to help protect the civilians who choose to remain in South Lebanon.”