Live updates on the Israel-Iran war: The United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon on Friday condemned the Israeli army’s “deliberate and direct destruction” of its property, calling it a “blatant violation” of international law. UNIFIL, made up of 10,000 troops, operates in southern Lebanon to supervise activities along the “blue line” that separates Lebanon from Israel.

Since late September, when Israel launched its ground operation against Hezbollah fighters, UNIFIL has reported multiple instances of the Israeli military (IDF) deliberately targeting its facilities, including attacks on peacekeepers and destruction watchtowers.
Israeli authorities have always maintained that these incidents were unintentional. They claim that UN forces are inadvertently protecting Hezbollah fighters and have urged UNIFIL to withdraw from southern Lebanon for security reasons, although UNIFIL has refused this request.

The recent UNIFIL statement details how IDF personnel used excavators and a bulldozer on Thursday to damage fences and concrete structures at a UN peacekeeping position in southern Lebanon. Additionally, peacekeepers observed this week as Israeli forces removed a marker gun from the Blue Line.

UNIFIL stressed that “the IDF’s deliberate and direct destruction of clearly identifiable UNIFIL assets constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and Resolution 1701”, referring to the UN resolution ordering peace in the south of the Lebanon following a previous conflict.

The organization stressed that these incidents, including eight similar events, were not accidental crossfire but intentional actions by the IDF. UNIFIL affirmed its commitment to remaining in Lebanon despite “unacceptable pressures”.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond. The statement followed an incident in which an Israeli drone strike injured six Malaysian peacekeepers on a UN bus at a checkpoint, while killing three Lebanese civilians in an adjacent vehicle.

Separately, Israeli forces reported discovering a Hezbollah training center about 200 meters from a UNIFIL base in southern Lebanon. They claimed to have destroyed the site, which contained weapons and launchers aimed at Israeli settlements.

A UNIFIL representative said he had not received any information from Israeli forces regarding the alleged installation of Hezbollah.