Attacks on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have continued in southern Lebanon, raising growing concern among Lebanese and diplomatic circles.
The latest incident occurred on Thursday in the border village of Adaisseh, where an Israeli drone dropped a grenade near a UNIFIL patrol despite prior coordination with the Israeli army. No injuries were reported.
In a statement, UNIFIL said that while its patrol was conducting routine operations, peacekeepers “were warned by locals about a potential danger at a home and discovered an explosive device connected to a detonating cord.”
“The peacekeepers set up a security cordon and prepared to check another house. Soon after, a drone that had been hovering overhead dropped a grenade about 30 meters from the peacekeepers,” said the statement.
Such Israeli activities on Lebanese territory put local civilians at risk and are a violation of Security Council Rresolution 1701, it added.
It warned that any actions that put peacekeepers at risk are serious violations of Resolution 1701, and undermine stability.
Lebanese sources familiar with UNIFIL’s operations said the incident was not an isolated event but part of a pattern of repeated Israeli targeting of UN peacekeeping patrols and positions over the past two years, including in areas subject to clear international security arrangements.
According to the sources, Israeli actions have continued despite advance notification of UNIFIL movements along the Blue Line.
UNIFIL patrols routinely inform the Israeli army of their routes, locations, and timing to avoid misunderstandings, weakening claims of accidental or mistaken targeting.
The sources said there is no convincing military or political explanation for the repeated incidents other than a deliberate effort to pressure or limit the presence of the international force in southern Lebanon.
Diplomatic sources warned that such attacks hinder UNIFIL’s ability to carry out its mandate to maintain stability and monitor the cessation of hostilities, despite repeated investigations that have yielded inconclusive results.
