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UN Condemns Restrictions on Peacekeepers in South Lebanon

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2018 file photo, UN peacekeepers parade during a ceremony to mark the transfer of authority between the outgoing and the newly appointed head of the mission at the UNIFIL headquarters in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura, Lebanon.(AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2018 file photo, UN peacekeepers parade during a ceremony to mark the transfer of authority between the outgoing and the newly appointed head of the mission at the UNIFIL headquarters in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura, Lebanon.(AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)
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UN Condemns Restrictions on Peacekeepers in South Lebanon

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2018 file photo, UN peacekeepers parade during a ceremony to mark the transfer of authority between the outgoing and the newly appointed head of the mission at the UNIFIL headquarters in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura, Lebanon.(AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2018 file photo, UN peacekeepers parade during a ceremony to mark the transfer of authority between the outgoing and the newly appointed head of the mission at the UNIFIL headquarters in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura, Lebanon.(AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday strongly condemning harassment, intimidation, attacks and restrictions against the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.

It also called on Lebanese authorities to accelerate deployment of ground and naval forces to the area, which borders Israel.

The resolution, which extends the mandate of the peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL until Aug. 31, 2023, stresses again the importance of all parties respecting the UN-drawn Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel.

It expresses concern at the recent installation of “containers” along the line that restrict the UN force’s access and visibility and at UNIFIL’s inability to visit areas north of the line related to tunnels that Israel said it discovered in late 2018.

Israel has repeatedly accused the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, of impeding UNIFIL peacekeepers from carrying out their mandate. Hezbollah battled Israel to a stalemate in a month-long war in 2006, and in 2019 Israel destroyed a series of what it said were attack tunnels dug under the border by Hezbollah, The Associated Press reported.

UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after a 1978 invasion. The mission was expanded after the 2006 war so peacekeepers could deploy along the Lebanon-Israel border to help Lebanese troops extend their authority into their country’s south for the first time in decades. That resolution also called for a full cessation of Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities, which has not happened.

The resolution adopted Wednesday does not mention Hezbollah, which remains active in southern Lebanon, by name.

But US deputy ambassador Richard Mills noted that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his latest report that UNIFIL troops are blocked “with increasing frequency” from carrying out their mandate and accessing sites, and the American envoy strongly indicated that Hezbollah is to blame.

“The proliferation of prefabricated containers placed by Green Without Borders obstructs UNIFIL’s access to the Blue Line and is heightening tensions in the area, further demonstrating that this so-called environmental group is acting on Hezbollah’s behalf,” Mills said.

The resolution condemns “in the strongest terms all attempts to restrict the freedom of movement of UNIFIL’s personnel, all acts of harassment and intimidation and all attacks against peacekeepers,” including attacks from 2018 through January 2022. It reiterates that the status of forces agreement between Lebanon and the United Nations gives UNIFIL peacekeepers the authority to carry out their mission without prior authorization or permission.

The resolution “demands the parties cease any restrictions and hindrances to the movement of UNIFIL personnel and guarantee the freedom of movement of UNIFIL, including by allowing announced and unannounced patrols,” a reaffirmation of the UN mission’s authority to operate independently.

The Security Council strongly reaffirmed the necessity for the Lebanese armed forces to deploy in southern Lebanon and its territorial waters “at an accelerated pace."

It also strongly encouraged the Lebanese government “to accelerate its deployment of a model regiment” and welcomed the inauguration of its headquarters on June 13, in the village of Srobbine in south Lebanon. The regiment is funded by the European Union.

It also strongly encouraged the accelerated deployment of a patrol vessel in UNIFIL’s operating area and reiterated its call for the government “to present a plan to increase its naval capabilities as soon as possible,” with the ultimate goal of decreasing UNIFIL’s maritime force and transferring responsibilities to the government.

UNIFIL has a ceiling of 13,000 uniformed personnel, but the latest UN figures say less than 10,650 are deployed.

Lebanon is struggling through a crippling economic crisis that has plunged over three-quarters of its population into poverty. The Lebanese pound has lost over 90% of its value against the US dollar. The country’s already frail infrastructure further deteriorated after the huge explosion at the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020, that killed more than 200 people, injured over 6,000, and destroyed several neighborhoods in the Lebanese capital.

The Security Council resolution expresses solidarity with Lebanon and its people following the port explosion and deplores “the lack of progress of an independent, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation into the explosions by the Lebanese judicial system.”

The council also urged Lebanese political leaders to urgently form a government that can implement reforms and respond to “the current and unprecedented acute social, economic and humanitarian crises.”

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Türkiye's Erdogan Hopes Instability in Syria Will Be Solved with Agreement

People and Syrian rescuers known as the White Helmets stand near building rubble at the site of a reported airstrike on a neighborhood in Syria's opposition-held northern city of Idlib on December 2, 2024. (AFP)
People and Syrian rescuers known as the White Helmets stand near building rubble at the site of a reported airstrike on a neighborhood in Syria's opposition-held northern city of Idlib on December 2, 2024. (AFP)
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Türkiye's Erdogan Hopes Instability in Syria Will Be Solved with Agreement

People and Syrian rescuers known as the White Helmets stand near building rubble at the site of a reported airstrike on a neighborhood in Syria's opposition-held northern city of Idlib on December 2, 2024. (AFP)
People and Syrian rescuers known as the White Helmets stand near building rubble at the site of a reported airstrike on a neighborhood in Syria's opposition-held northern city of Idlib on December 2, 2024. (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that he hoped the instability in Syria would be concluded with an agreement in line with the demands of the Syrian people.

"Our greatest wish is for Syria's territorial integrity and national unity to be preserved, and for the instability that has been going on for 13 years to end with consensus in line with the legitimate demands of the Syrian people," Erdogan said.

Speaking at a press conference, Erdogan also said Ankara was closely monitoring developments in neighboring Syria and taking the necessary measures to prevent harm to Türkiye's security.

Earlier on Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the recent rapid advance by opposition fighters in Syria shows that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must reconcile with his own people and hold dialogue with the opposition

At a joint news conference in Ankara with his Iranian counterpart, Fidan said Türkiye and Iran, which support opposing sides in Syria’s civil war, have agreed to resume diplomatic efforts along with Russia to restore calm days after fighters launched a lightning offensive and captured almost all of the country’s largest city, Aleppo.

The swift advance by fighters that Türkiye supports was a huge embarrassment for Assad and it comes at a time when his allies — Iran and groups it backs and Russia — are preoccupied with their own conflicts.

The push is among the opposition’s strongest in years and raises the prospect of another violent front reopening in the Middle East when US-backed Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both Iranian-allied groups.

Fidan, whose country has backed forces opposed to Assad, blamed the recent flare-up of the conflict on the Syrian government’s refusal to enter a dialogue with the opposition that Türkiye supports.

“Recent developments show once again that Damascus must reconcile with its own people and the legitimate opposition,” the Turkish minister said. “Türkiye is ready to make all the necessary contribution toward this.”

Fidan’s comments emerged amid Turkish frustration that recent efforts toward a reconciliation with Assad have fallen flat. The comments indicated that the shock offensive launched by opposition fighters could be aimed at pressuring the Syrian leader to engage in political talks.

Türkiye has been seeking to normalize ties with Syria to address security threats from groups affiliated with Kurdish militants along its southern border and to help ensure the safe return of more than 3 million Syrian refugees. Assad has insisted that Türkiye’s withdrawal of its forces from northern Syria be a condition for any normalization between the two countries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who visited Assad on Sunday before traveling to Ankara, reiterated Tehran’s full support for the Syrian government. Iran has been one of Assad’s principal political and military supporters and has deployed military advisers and forces after 2011 protests against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war.

Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have deployed in Syria to back the government’s counteroffensive against the opposition, an Iraqi militia official and a war monitor said Monday.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition war monitor, some 200 Iraqi militiamen riding on pickups crossed into Syria overnight through the strategic al-Boukamal crossing. They were expected to deploy in Aleppo to support the Syrian army’s pushback against the opposition fighters, the monitor said.

The opposition offensive in Syria has caused concern among neighboring countries that the conflict could spill over. In Iraq, Interior Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Miqdad Miri said security forces have deployed in greater numbers to protect their large border with Syria.

Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s support for Syria’s territorial integrity, but suggested that Türkiye would not hesitate to intervene against Syrian Kurdish militia groups that Ankara considers to be terrorists if they “exploit the environment of instability.”

“It was a mistake to ignore the legitimate demands of the opposition and for the (Syrian) regime not to sincerely engage in the political process,” Fidan said.

“Türkiye will never, ever allow terrorist organizations that seek to exploit the environment of instability, Fidan said. “We will eliminate any threat to our national security and our people wherever it emerges.”

Both Fidan and Araghchi said Türkiye, Iran and Russia would convene a new three-way meeting to address the conflict in Syria.

"We have decided to hold closer consultations and dialogue, and with God’s permission, we will cooperate to further improve the situation toward peace and stability in our region,” Araghchi said.

Russia, whose intervention in Syria’s civil war on behalf of Assad was crucial in turning the conflict in his favor, has said it will continue to support him.

“We continue our contacts at the appropriate level and analyze the situation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday. “A position will be formed regarding what is needed to stabilize the situation.”

As Syrian and Russian jets continued pounding targets, two airstrikes hit a group of four hospitals and the health directorate building in Idlib city, the Syrian Civil Defense force that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets, said.

Two people in Idlib University Hospital died after their oxygen machines turned off following the strikes. Ceiling panels and doors at the hospital were blown off, while ambulances and vehicles outside were severely damaged according to footage taken by journalist with The Associated Press at the hospital.

At least 15 civilians were killed in Idlib city and province, according to the White Helmets.

Syrian Kurds were fleeing the fighting in large numbers after Turkish-backed fighters seized Tel Rifaat from rival US-backed Kurdish authorities. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces largely withdrew and called for a humanitarian corridor to allow people to leave safely in convoys toward Aleppo and later to Kurdish-led northeast regions.