HAMILTON, Canada<\/p>\n
The UN on Friday warned Israel again over the latest airstrikes against southern Lebanon, calling the repeated attacks “clear violations” of Security Council Resolution 1701.<\/p>\n
“On Thursday afternoon, peacekeepers from the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, observed a series of Israeli airstrikes in its area of operations in south Lebanon,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference, adding that the Israeli attack “comes as the Lebanese Armed Forces continue operations to control unauthorized weapons and infrastructure in south Lebanon.”<\/p>\n
“These actions are clear violations of Security Council resolution 1701,” he said, urging the Israeli military to “use the liaison and coordination mechanisms available to them to settle these issues.”<\/p>\n
Late Thursday, UN peacekeepers in Lebanon were “approached by six men on three mopeds near the Bint Jbeil area, with one man firing approximately three shots into the back of a UN vehicle,” Dujarric said, emphasizing that “attacks on peacekeepers are unacceptable and serious violations of resolution 1701.”<\/p>\n
The resolution calls for a cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as well as for the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the Litani River and the Blue Line boundary mapped by the UN that separates Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.<\/p>\n
“We remind the Lebanese authorities of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers, and we demand a full and immediate investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he added.<\/p>\n
A ceasefire was reached between Tel Aviv and Beirut last year, after more than a year of attacks against the backdrop of the genocide in the Gaza Strip. More than 4,000 people were killed, and 17,000 were injured.<\/p>\n
At least 335 people have been killed and 973 others wounded in 1,038 Israeli attacks since the ceasefire agreement came into effect in November 2024, according to Lebanon\u2019s Health Ministry.<\/p>\n
The Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon in January 2025 under the ceasefire but instead only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.<\/p>\n