• #UNIFIL sur X :
    https://x.com/UNIFIL_/status/1875597770628985123

    Statement: This morning peacekeepers observed an IDF bulldozer destroying a blue barrel marking the line of withdrawal between Lebanon and Israel in Labbouneh, as well as an observation tower belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces immediately beside a UNIFIL position there.

    The IDF’s deliberate and direct destruction of both clearly identifiable UNIFIL property and infrastructure belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces is a flagrant violation of resolution #1701 and international law.

    #FINUL

  • Karim Makdisi sur X : “On #Lebanon All analyses that take as their starting point, #Israeli security—and therefore hizb as the core “problem” to be “solved”—are lacking and unproductive. Even when the analyst thinks they are being impartial their assumptions simply lack nuance/context/depth (to say”
    https://x.com/KarimMakdisi/status/1860637390815051806

    There is also no notion that since 2006 the USA (via its proxy the UK) wants a Lebanese army that is an internal anti “terrorist” (ie anti hizb, Palestinian groups…) and not one that can actually defend #Lebanon from its main external threat: genocidal Israel. For US-UK the army is there to patrol borders on behalf of Israel/US interests. This is why the west has blocked any meaningful weapons supply to the army, and the focus instead is on supplying surplus clothes and vehicles and “training” officers in the west to build a new officer core/leadership disconnected from hizb.
    That, once again, is also why the US pushes the head of Lebanon’s army to be president.

    Meanwhile Qatar and other allies literally feed the Lebanese soldiers who are poorly trained and unable to defend Lebanon today.

    It’s also why Israelis insist on UK and US to monitor any ceasefire, be it 1701, 1701+, or other mechanism. France, for all its problems and colonial position, can’t be “trusted” because, unlike the US and UK, it can’t be fully trusted to have unblinking support for Israel. since France still has its colonial ties to Lebanon’s Maronite Christians.

    Finally, once and for all, #1701 is not a one-sided agreement. It requires Israel to withdraw from all Lebanese territory and stop all air, sea and land violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Read the
    @UNIFIL_
    reports since 2006 to see the tens of thousands of such violations. This point is often left out of most analyses as though it’s an incidental point or an assumption that if Hizb were to disappear then expansionist Israel would have no reason to enter Lebanon anymore. This thinking is delusional at best. Look around Israeli neighbors: Sinai, Golan, West Bank, and Gaza. Do they enjoy full “sovereignty”? Jordan still does at a formal level for the role it has in protecting Israel border and for its possibility in Zionist imagination to be the area where #Palestinians in West Bank would be ethnically cleansed to.

    The internal Lebanese situation is a different matter. The state corruption and bankruptcy is on all Lebanese sides and leaders. Reforms are urgently needed, and a proper defense plan as well.

    How do we ensure “sovereignty” that does not require surrender to Israeli demands (via USA-UK) while also building national institutions that serve all Lebanese in an equitable manner, that prioritize national public healthcare, education and infrastructure rather than serve the kleptocracy and local monopolies/ external commercial interests? How do we build a proper army to defend Lebanon from Israeli threats and reassure Lebanese citizens who have for decades suffered from Israeli violence and occupation, while also ensuring state monopoly on weapons? How do we reach a point where Lebanon’s foreign policy is based on its actual interest? How do we control the banking and financial sectors to avoid the theft of people’s money with no consequences? What should the policy towards Syrian refugees that both respects the dignity of all refugees while also not being captive to European migration obsessions? How do we ensure the dignified return of over a million Lebanese displaced from the current Israeli onslaught and the reconstruction of their homes and communities? How do we keep religious influence out of the state/citizen relationship? What kind of Lebanon do we want?

  • Zeina Khodr sur X :
    https://x.com/ZeinakhodrAljaz/status/1852269488307044845

    #Lebanon PM Mikati : the intensification and expansion of Israeli strikes shows Israel has no intention to agree to any diplomatic initiative to bring about a ceasefire based on UN resolution #1701

    Mikati: “The Israeli enemy’s renewed expansion... and its renewed targeting of the southern suburbs of Beirut with destructive raids are all indicators that confirm the Israeli enemy’s rejection of all efforts being made to secure a ceasefire"

  • Israel at War Day 373 | UNIFIL Says Israeli Tanks Destroyed Its Main Gate, Requests Explanation for ’Shocking Violations’ - Israel News - Haaretz.com
    https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-10-13/ty-article-live/report-israel-strikes-south-west-lebanon-north-israeli-towns-declared-military-zones/00000192-83a5-d3f8-afb6-cfe5f2e00000

    UNIFIL Says Israeli Tanks Destroyed Its Main Gate, Requests Explanation for ’Shocking Violations’

    • La déclaration de la #FINUL (UNIFIL en anglais) :

      UNIFIL sur X :
      https://x.com/UNIFIL_/status/1845470755015762208

      UNIFIL @UNIFIL_
      UNIFIL statement:

      Early this morning, peacekeepers at a UN position in Ramyah observed three platoons of IDF soldiers crossing the Blue Line into Lebanon.

      At around 4:30 a.m., while peacekeepers were in shelters, two IDF Merkava tanks destroyed the position’s main gate and forcibly entered the position. They requested multiple times that the base turn out its lights.

      The tanks left about 45 minutes later after UNIFIL protested through our liaison mechanism, saying that IDF presence was putting peacekeepers in danger.

      At around 6:40 a.m., peacekeepers at the same position reported the firing of several rounds 100 metres north, which emitted smoke.

      Despite putting on protective masks, fifteen peacekeepers suffered effects, including skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions, after the smoke entered the camp. The peacekeepers are receiving treatment.

      In addition, yesterday, IDF soldiers stopped a critical UNIFIL logistical movement near Meiss ej Jebel, denying it passage. The critical movement could not be completed.

      For the fourth time in as many days, we remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times.

      Breaching and entering a UN position is a further flagrant violation of international law and Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and resolution #1701.

  • Stephen Semler sur X : “Biden just renewed a national emergency purportedly to help protect Lebanon’s sovereignty. Strangely, he didn’t mention that Israeli military aircraft have violated Lebanese sovereignty 13 times/day since October, chalking up well over 11,500 hours’ worth of airspace violations:”

    Biden just renewed a national emergency purportedly to help protect Lebanon’s sovereignty.

    Strangely, he didn’t mention that Israeli military aircraft have violated Lebanese sovereignty 13 times/day since October, chalking up well over 11,500 hours’ worth of airspace violations:

    #1701

  • Israeli strike wounds UN observers in south Lebanon, security sources say | Reuters
    https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-strike-hits-car-carrying-un-observers-near-south-lebanon-border-sec

    BEIRUT, March 30 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike on Saturday hit a vehicle carrying United Nations technical observers outside the southern Lebanese border town of Rmeish, wounding several observers, two security sources told Reuters.

    The Israeli military’s spokesman Avichay Adraee denied that Israeli forces hit a vehicle belonging to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL.

    There was no immediate comment from UNIFIL or from the U.N. technical observer mission UNTSO.

    […]

    In November, UNIFIL said one of its patrols was hit by Israeli gunfire in southern Lebanon, without leaving casualties.
    UNIFIL last month said that the Israeli military violated international law by firing on a group of clearly identifiable journalists, killing a Reuters journalist.

    • Prendre pour cible des soldats de la paix est « inacceptable », affirme la Finul
      30 mars 2024
      https://www.france24.com/fr/moyen-orient/20240330-%F0%9F%94%B4-en-direct-cinq-morts-dans-une-distribution-d-aide-%C

      La Finul a déclaré que le fait de prendre pour cible des soldats de la paix était « inacceptable » après que trois observateurs de la mission et un traducteur ont été blessés lors d’une frappe israélienne sur le Liban.

      Le communiqué ajoute que les observateurs ont été hospitalisés, indiquant « enquêter sur l’origine de l’explosion ».

      L’Agence nationale libanaise d’information (ANI, officielle) a affirmé que « l’aviation ennemie », en référence à Israël, avait bombardé la région de Rmeich, où s’est produit l’incident, affirmant que la patrouille avait été visée par ces tirs.

      Dans un communiqué, l’armée israélienne a assuré que « contrairement aux informations de presse, l’armée n’a pas visé un véhicule de la Finul dans la région de Rmeich ce matin ».

    • https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1408743/plusieurs-blesses-dans-une-frappe-israelienne-sur-un-vehicule-de-lonu

      Trois observateurs militaires des Nations unies et un assistant ont été blessés samedi matin lors d’une patrouille à pied le long de la Ligne bleue entre le Liban est Israël, à la suite d’une « explosion » survenue à proximité, a indiqué un communiqué de la Finul, la force de maintien de la paix des Nations unies.

      Selon de précédentes informations, un véhicule à bord duquel se trouvaient des observateurs de l’ONU avait été touché par une « frappe israélienne », ce que l’État hébreu a rapidement démenti par la voix du porte-parole arabophone de l’armée, Avichay Adraee.

      De son côté, le porte-parole de la Finul, Andrea Tenenti, a déclaré : « Ce matin, trois observateurs militaires de l’OGL [Groupe d’observateurs au Liban] (ONUST) [Organisme des Nations unies chargé de la surveillance de la trêve, qui aide la Finul à remplir son mandat] et un assistant de langue arabe, probablement un traducteur, qui effectuaient une patrouille à pied le long de la Ligne bleue ont été blessés lorsqu’une explosion s’est produite à proximité de leur position ».

      La Ligne bleue entre le Liban est Israël. Infographie par Guilhem Dorandeu/L’Orient-Le Jour

      Les quatre blessés ont été évacués et reçoivent un traitement médical. La Finul enquête sur l’origine de l’explosion. Un hélicoptère de l’ONU a été aperçu à Beyrouth dans la matinée, pendant qu’il se posait sur l’héliport de l’Hôpital Saint-Georges de Geitaoui, dans le quartier d’Achrafieh.

      « La sécurité du personnel de l’ONU doit être assurée. Tous les acteurs ont la responsabilité, en vertu du droit international humanitaire, d’assurer la protection des non-combattants, y compris les soldats de la paix », a ajouté Andrea Tenenti.

      Qu’est-ce que l’OGL ?

      L’OGL fait partie de l’Organisme des Nations unies chargé de la surveillance de la trêve (ONUST), présent dans la région depuis 1949 pour assurer la stabilité au Moyen-Orient.

      L’OGL soutient la Finul dans l’exécution de son mandat de maintien de la paix, en "observant, surveillant, signalant et/ou enquêtant sur les incidents" qui pourraient violer la résolution 1701 du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies. Dans ses grandes lignes, la résolution 1701, qui a mis fin à la guerre de 2006, prévoit le retrait du Hezbollah des zones situées au sud du fleuve Litani en échange de l’arrêt des intrusions israéliennes dans le territoire souverain libanais.

      Qu’est-ce que la Ligne bleue ?

      La Ligne bleue s’étend sur 120 km le long de la frontière au Liban-Sud, depuis Naqoura jusqu’à Wazzani. 272 barils bleus montrent le chemin précis de cette ligne, visualisé ici dans cette infographie.

      Ce n’est pas une frontière, mais une "ligne de retrait". Elle a été établie par les Nations unies en 2000 pour confirmer le retrait des forces israéliennes du sud du Liban.

      La Ligne bleue est temporaire. La force de maintien de la paix de l’ONU est chargée de "maintenir le calme et la stabilité le long de cette frontière fragile et d’éviter les provocations et les incidents inutiles pouvant conduire à une crise et potentiellement à un conflit".

      La Ligne bleue est devenue l’un des éléments centraux de la résolution 1701.