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UN: Safety and Security of UNIFIL in Lebanon is ‘Increasingly in Jeopardy’

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (Lacroix’ X account)
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (Lacroix’ X account)
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UN: Safety and Security of UNIFIL in Lebanon is ‘Increasingly in Jeopardy’

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (Lacroix’ X account)
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (Lacroix’ X account)

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, said on Thursday that the safety and security of UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers is now increasingly in jeopardy.
Speaking to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, Lacroix said UNIFIL operational activities have virtually come to a halt since 23 September, according to Reuters.
“UNIFIL is mandated to support the implementation of resolution 1701, but we must insist that it is for the parties themselves to implement the provisions of this resolution,” he noted.
Earlier, UNIFIL said in a statement that the Israeli forces “deliberately” fired at three UN positions in the south of Lebanon on Wednesday and Thursday, injuring two peacekeepers.
The United Nations peacekeepers were deployed to patrol Lebanon's border with Israel in 1978 after Israel clashed with Palestinian armed factions stationed in the south of Lebanon.
The mandate for the operation - known as the UN Interim Force in Lebanon or UNIFIL - is renewed annually by the 15-member UN Security Council.
The mission’s mandate had to be adjusted due to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and after the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.
The mandate was expanded with Resolution 1701 following the 2006 war.
In mid-September, Israel said it began the transfer of military weight to the northern front.
Since September 23, Israel has intensified its airstrikes in Lebanon, particularly on Hezbollah strongholds in the south and east of the country and in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
On September 30, the Israeli army said it began a “limited, localized and targeted” ground operation in southern Lebanon based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure.

 

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Arab World

LF Organizes National Conference to Outline ‘Roadmap to Save Lebanon’

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
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LF Organizes National Conference to Outline ‘Roadmap to Save Lebanon’

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, at the celebration of the "Memory of the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance" (Lebanese Forces)

The Lebanese Forces party has called for a national conference to address the Israeli war on Lebanon.

The conference, which will take place at the party’s headquarters in Maarab, aims to establish a political framework to halt the war, in cooperation with Arab nations and the international community, according to sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.

The sources said invitations have been sent to opposition parties, independent MPs, and national figures, though key groups such as Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, and the Marada Movement have not been invited.

They also noted that the goal is to “create a roadmap to rescue Lebanon from the destruction caused by its involvement in the conflict and to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people, who have endured violence, displacement, and destruction.”

The conference will emphasize the need for peace, prosperity, and the reconstruction of Lebanon, reflecting the will of the majority of the Lebanese population who feel powerless in the face of ongoing turmoil, the sources stressed.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, a source within the LF said that the party has remained “strategically silent out of respect for the war’s victims” but now believes it is time to speak up. The party’s leader, Dr. Samir Geagea, will outline key solutions, including an immediate ceasefire, full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and the urgent election of a president. These proposals are intended to appeal to both domestic and international audiences, including Iran and Israel, according to the same source.

The call for a conference follows an earlier initiative by opposition MPs, including those from the Lebanese Forces, which called for the Lebanese state to reclaim control, distance Lebanon from regional conflicts, and commit to a ceasefire and the full implementation of international resolutions. However, that initiative did not yield significant results.

While there are no guarantees that the Maarab conference will lead to immediate solutions, the source in the LF said that the party is determined to push forward, pointing that a follow-up committee will be formed to engage with political forces in Lebanon and key international stakeholders, including the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.