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.”



US-Backed Gaza Aid Group Says All Aid Distribution Sites Are Closed

Displaced Palestinians walk along a road to receive humanitarian aid packages from a US-backed foundation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on June 5, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Displaced Palestinians walk along a road to receive humanitarian aid packages from a US-backed foundation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on June 5, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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US-Backed Gaza Aid Group Says All Aid Distribution Sites Are Closed

Displaced Palestinians walk along a road to receive humanitarian aid packages from a US-backed foundation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on June 5, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Displaced Palestinians walk along a road to receive humanitarian aid packages from a US-backed foundation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on June 5, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

A US- and Israeli-backed group handing out aid in Gaza said on Friday all its distribution sites were closed until further notice, urging residents to stay away from these venues "for their safety" after a series of deadly shootings.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which last week started handing out meals to hungry Palestinians inside the war-shattered Gaza Strip, said that a reopening date would be announced later.

The GHF opened two sites in southern Gaza on Thursday after closing all of its centers the previous day in the wake of shootings in the vicinity of its operations. It has so far operated four distribution centers.

The organization bypasses traditional relief agencies and has been criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for alleged lack of neutrality, which it denies, Reuters reported.

GHF halted distributions on Wednesday and said it was pressing Israeli forces to improve civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its operations after dozens of Palestinians were shot dead near the Rafah site over three consecutive days.

The Israeli military said on Sunday and Monday that its soldiers had fired warning shots. On Tuesday, it said, forces also fired warning shots before firing towards Palestinians that it said were advancing towards troops. GHF has said that aid was safely handed out from its sites without any incident.

Israel has re-intensified an offensive against Gaza's dominant Hamas militant group since breaking a two-month-old ceasefire in March in a war triggered by Hamas' cross-border attack on October 7, 2023.