Since its establishment in 1978, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has faced significant challenges related to restoring international peace and security in Lebanon, ensuring the cessation of hostilities and the proliferation of arms in Southern Lebanon. With the outbreak of confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah on October 8, 2023, and the escalation intensifying between them by September 23, 2024, marked by increased Israeli airstrikes and ground military operations in Southern Lebanon, the challenges facing UNIFIL have intensified. This is particularly critical as UNIFIL operates in fifty locations across an area defined by the Litani River to the north and the Blue Line to the south, increasing risks and delaying its primary mission of gradually transferring responsibilities to the Lebanese Armed Forces in the long term.
Challenges for UNIFIL
UNIFIL is encountering various challenges in its mission to support stability in Southern Lebanon as per Security Council Resolution 1701. These challenges include:
Border Tensions: Frequent clashes and tensions between the Israeli army and Hezbollah make it difficult to enforce the ceasefire and put UNIFIL forces at risk while monitoring these borders.
Movement of Militants and Arms: The presence of non-state armed groups is a significant challenge for UNIFIL, as weapons and fighters sometimes move within its operational areas, complicating international forces’ ability to disarm non-governmental groups.
Limited Local Cooperation: UNIFIL faces restrictions on its movement in certain areas due to limited local cooperation, particularly from communities that reject the presence of international forces or are influenced by particular political affiliations.
Logistical Challenges: Harsh geographic conditions and difficult roads hinder UNIFIL’s movement and equipment, increasing the logistical costs and efforts necessary to ensure the readiness of its forces and provide supplies.
Tense Political Environment: The internal political escalation in Lebanon complicates UNIFIL’s operations, especially as the Lebanese political situation influences the cooperation and support decisions that the mission receives from local actors.
Exposure to Security Threats: Due to the volatile environment, UNIFIL faces ongoing threats like direct attacks and public tensions in some areas, requiring it to take precise and advanced security measures to protect personnel and equipment.
Despite these challenges, UNIFIL continues its efforts to ensure stability in the region and prevent further escalation of conflict, with the international community committed to providing diplomatic and logistical support to facilitate its missions and achieve peace in the area.
Challenges from Israel
UNIFIL has encountered numerous risks since the escalation of direct clashes between Israel and Hezbollah. On September 3, 2024, UNIFIL reported that a worker en route to provide services to its Spanish battalion was shot near Serda, while another worker was killed in an airstrike on his vehicle in Naqoura. On October 8, 2024, UNIFIL Head Aruldo Lazaro and UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Plaschar warned against the failure to heed repeated calls for restraint, cessation of hostilities, and implementation of Resolution 1701, asserting that a negotiated solution is the path to restoring stability in the region.
On October 10, 2024, the UN observed the Israeli army firing at three of its sites in Southern Lebanon within a single day, resulting in injuries to two personnel, while two others were injured in a series of explosions. On October 13, UNIFIL stated, “For the fourth time in two days, we remind the Israeli army and all parties of their commitments to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the sanctity of UN premises,” noting that two Israeli tanks forcibly entered a UN site in Southern Lebanon, damaging the main gate and causing skin irritations to 15 peacekeepers.
The Israeli army adopted a narrative contrary to UNIFIL’s statements, asserting that it attacked UNIFIL sites to evacuate soldiers injured by an anti-tank missile. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged UNIFIL to distance itself from the region, claiming that their presence made them hostages to Hezbollah. UNIFIL described the Israeli movements as violations of international law, emphasizing that Israeli forces prevented them from conducting logistical movements near the border on October 12, 2024.
Israel has criticized UNIFIL for failing to stabilize the region and allowing Hezbollah militants to operate south of the Litani River. UN Peacekeeping Operations Chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix criticized both Hezbollah and Israel for establishing military facilities near UN positions, stressing to the Security Council that UN forces are facing increasing danger, especially as Israel claims that UNIFIL’s reluctance to evacuate its sites provides human shields for Hezbollah.
On October 16, 2024, UNIFIL announced that Israeli fire directly targeted one of its sites, damaging a watchtower and two cameras. Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his message to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stating, “It is time for UNIFIL forces to withdraw from Hezbollah strongholds and combat areas.” On October 20, 2024, UNIFIL reported on an Israeli military bulldozer deliberately demolishing a watchtower and fencing around its sites in Southern Lebanon.
Challenges from Hezbollah
On August 31, 2024, the Security Council extended the UNIFIL mandate for 12 months, increasing the burden on forces amid escalating tensions. UNIFIL reported that Hezbollah fired approximately 25 rockets in September 2024 near UNIFIL locations. Reports on September 27, 2024, revealed Hezbollah constructing a 1,200-meter asphalt runway at one of its military bases along the southern Lebanese border. The breaches by Hezbollah are not linked solely to the recent escalation; in 2020, Hezbollah established a military presence in UNIFIL’s operational areas along the Blue Line, creating seven shooting ranges in those areas.
With confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah reigniting on October 8, 2023, Northern Israel faced the most extensive wave of rocket fire since the 2006 war. Hezbollah set up a 30-meter-tall tent in May 2024 and launched an anti-tank missile across the Blue Line in July 2024. The military presence of Hezbollah in UNIFIL areas has become a source of disruption, contrasting sharply with the group’s behavior in Southern Lebanon since the deployment of UN forces, where its presence was then limited to populated areas; now, however, it conducts direct missile attacks against Israel in retaliation for its operations in Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s increasing presence in areas near UNIFIL sites and the return of its fighters to military facilities abandoned since the end of the 2006 war have prevented local residents and UN forces from accessing valleys near the Lebanese-Israeli border. Hezbollah’s control over political decision-making in Lebanon intensifies pressure on UNIFIL, which noted incidents of violence against its forces by local residents in December 2023, especially as Hezbollah incites violence against UN forces while blocking patrols from accessing certain areas, shifting UNIFIL’s role from implementing its mandate to protecting its personnel. Although UNIFIL enjoys freedom of movement in its operational area under Security Council Resolution 2695, it has not visited the shooting ranges but only monitored them from helicopters to avoid engagement with Hezbollah elements.
Current Role of UNIFIL in the Ongoing Conflict
Prior to the current tensions, UNIFIL’s role involved monitoring the ceasefire since 2006, neutrally observing border violations, reporting breaches of Resolution 1701, and conducting formal mediation between Israeli and Lebanese military officials. It also supported the Lebanese army through training and assistance to enhance its deployment in Southern Lebanon, aiming for a gradual transition of security responsibilities to it. The naval force of UNIFIL assists the Lebanese navy in monitoring territorial waters, preventing the entry of unauthorized weapons and related materials into the operational area, facilitating humanitarian access to support local populations, and aiding local communities through donations in education, infrastructure, and healthcare.
After October 2023, the situation changed, with UN forces patrolling combat frontlines and relaying messages between the Lebanese and Israeli armies amidst the suspension of formal mediation between them. Despite Israeli warnings for UNIFIL to evacuate its sites, it continues its operations. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti stated that “the vague instructions did not specify which of the 50 sites should be evacuated,” affirming the continuation of the UN flag and its required role in the area despite the challenging security situation.
How is UNIFIL Addressing Challenges in Southern Lebanon?
UNIFIL insists on confirming its presence and fulfilling its missions. On October 6, 2024, it warned of the consequences of recent activities by the Israeli army near the mission’s site. The forces continue to observe firing exchanges on the Lebanese-Israeli border. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric indicated that “the airstrikes and ground incursions conducted by Israel have targeted multiple areas across the Blue Line,” noting Hezbollah’s launch of dozens of attacks in the same timeframe in response to Israeli incursions.
UNIFIL rejects assaults on its forces, viewing these movements as a serious development threatening the safety of peacekeepers executing their Security Council-mandated tasks. On October 13, 2024, Secretary-General António Guterres stated that “UNIFIL forces will not evacuate Southern Lebanon,” rejecting Israel’s call for them to leave the region, and emphasizing the importance of ensuring the safety and security of UN personnel and property, accusing Israel of deliberately targeting UN facilities.
Assessment and Future Outlook
The current phase is extremely challenging for UNIFIL since it took over responsibility in Southern Lebanon, exacerbated by increased confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah outside the rules of engagement and deteriorating security conditions along the Lebanese-Israeli border. This threatens UNIFIL’s role and the fate of Security Council Resolution 1701, particularly as it is the decision that defines the operations of the forces in Southern Lebanon and faces clear violations from both sides of the conflict. This complexity complicates UNIFIL’s ability to defend itself while becoming distracted from its primary tasks. At the same time, the UN forces fear becoming a primary target amid these tensions and possibly resorting to force in response to attacks on their sites, which could lead to military confrontation between UN forces and the Israeli army and shift UNIFIL into a combat role, contradicting its mission and putting the participating nations in conflict with Israel, especially as conditions in Lebanon trend toward unprecedented escalation.
UNIFIL’s Withdrawal from Southern Lebanon is Not on the Table
The withdrawal of UNIFIL from Southern Lebanon is not a consideration in UN circles and is seen as the last resort that would put an end to ground military operations and airstrikes in Southern Lebanon. The exit of these forces would mean the end of Resolution 1701 in light of Israel’s proposals for amendments that would favor Israel alone and hinder the work of UN forces and the Lebanese army. Furthermore, a withdrawal would signify a failure for the UN and the European countries involved in the forces in their first real test since UNIFIL was established in the late 1970s.
Statements from European Countries
Statements from European nations regarding the issue of withdrawing UNIFIL underscore their steadfast position on the importance of maintaining UN forces in this region amidst escalating tensions between Israel and Iranian proxies, and as they watch for Israeli responses to the Iranian attack that occurred in early October 2024. Hence, EU countries will apply pressure on Israel to cease direct attacks against UN facilities and its forces and will propose initiatives similar to the French paper presented by Paris in February 2024, which aimed to ease tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, attempting to disarm and stop military operations in Southern Lebanon. A positive point here is that the European stance aligns with the Lebanese government’s view, which indicated the possibility of introducing new understandings to Resolution 1701.
UNIFIL’s Mission in Southern Lebanon
The UN’s task of monitoring Southern Lebanon and gathering information to provide field reports to the international community is exceedingly difficult. Consequently, UNIFIL is postponing any steps concerning the transfer of responsibility to the Lebanese army, which is currently facing financial crises and struggling to carry out its military institution’s daily tasks, alongside a lack of directives from the Lebanese government to address this issue amidst intensifying confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah.
The UN has a significant task concerning the expansion of UNIFIL’s powers in Southern Lebanon, allowing it to respond to any direct assaults on its forces and facilities, amidst deteriorating relations between the UN institution and Israel and rising hostility in statements from Israeli officials toward UN Secretary-General António Guterres, which could hinder any votes in the Security Council and the UN regarding adding any new tasks to UNIFIL.
Perhaps some European countries will seek to leverage the time before the US presidential elections to obtain supportive statements for UNIFIL or promises regarding ending the escalation in Southern Lebanon from both Republican and Democratic candidates, coupled with dialogue with the current US administration to make any substantive progress concerning talks between the Lebanese and Israeli governments at this time, and exerting pressure on Israel to cease its criticism of UNIFIL and demands for its withdrawal.
References
UN says Israeli tanks forced entry into base in south Lebanon
What is UNIFIL, the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon?
Netanyahu: UN must withdraw south Lebanon peacekeepers from combat zones
Hezbollah’s assertive posture in south Lebanon places UNIFIL in a difficult position
