Lebanon Asks UNIFIL to Coordinate With Army

Prime Minister Hassan Diab with UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col at the UNIFIL headquarters, South Lebanon (NNA).
Prime Minister Hassan Diab with UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col at the UNIFIL headquarters, South Lebanon (NNA).
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Lebanon Asks UNIFIL to Coordinate With Army

Prime Minister Hassan Diab with UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col at the UNIFIL headquarters, South Lebanon (NNA).
Prime Minister Hassan Diab with UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col at the UNIFIL headquarters, South Lebanon (NNA).

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that the presence of the international peacekeepers operating in the South (UNIFIL) “is still necessary and urgent”, reiterating “Lebanon’s commitment to implementing Security Council Resolution 1701 and maintaining the number of international forces without any amendment.”

He also stressed the importance of UNIFIL’s continued coordination and close cooperation with the Lebanese army “to prevent any confusion.”

Diab visited on Wednesday the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, following a number of incidents over the past few days between peacekeepers and residents of southern villages. He was accompanied by Defense Minister Zeina Akar and Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun.

On Tuesday, residents of the southern village of Blida accused a UNIFIL military vehicle of hitting two cars and a motorbike, the state-run National News Agency reported. UNIFIL said it was investigating the incident.

“The need for UNIFIL troops is still necessary and urgent, in light of the Israeli attempts to destabilize south Lebanon and the continued violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty by land, sea and air,” the Lebanese prime minister said in a televised conference before his meeting with UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col.

Del Col, for his part, said he was looking forward to “working with the Lebanese government and particularly the Lebanese Army on implementing UNSCR 1701 in full, and addressing any unresolved cases.”

The prime minister’s visit also came in the wake of statements made by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, in which he responded to what he said were US demands to amend the mission of UNIFIL and grant it the right to search civilian homes.

“Since 2006, UNIFIL has been working in coordination with the Lebanese Army. Israel and the US want to give it free rein to raid and search private properties,” Nasrallah said in a radio interview on Tuesday.

“They want to reduce UNIFIL numbers? Go ahead. Increase them? Go ahead,” Nasrallah said, adding if they also want to leave it will be no problem. “But we consider expanding its mandate an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty.”



UN Says It Will 'Do All We Can' to Reach Starving People in Gaza during Israeli Pauses

FILED - 03 December 2024, Switzerland, Geneva: UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher presents the report on emergency relief needs in 2025. Photo: Christiane Oelrich/dpa
FILED - 03 December 2024, Switzerland, Geneva: UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher presents the report on emergency relief needs in 2025. Photo: Christiane Oelrich/dpa
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UN Says It Will 'Do All We Can' to Reach Starving People in Gaza during Israeli Pauses

FILED - 03 December 2024, Switzerland, Geneva: UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher presents the report on emergency relief needs in 2025. Photo: Christiane Oelrich/dpa
FILED - 03 December 2024, Switzerland, Geneva: UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher presents the report on emergency relief needs in 2025. Photo: Christiane Oelrich/dpa

United Nations teams will step up efforts to feed Palestinians in Gaza during pauses in designated areas announced on Sunday by Israel, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said.

"In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said in a post on X reported Reuters.

The Israeli military on Sunday began a limited pause in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day, part of a series of steps launched as concerns over surging hunger in the territory mount and as Israel faces a wave of international criticism over its conduct in the 21-month war.

The military said it would begin a “tactical pause” in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations, to “increase the scale of humanitarian aid” entering the territory. The pause begins every day at 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time until further notice, beginning Sunday.

The military also said that it would put in place secure routes for aid delivery and that it carried out aid airdrops into Gaza, which included packages of aid with flour, sugar and canned food, reported The Associated Press.