UN rejects Israel’s request to evacuate blue helmets monitoring the border with Lebanon

The United Nations has refused to evacuate the observation posts of its Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) deployed on the Blue Line, the demarcation between Lebanon and Israel that has become the main front in the fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, as requested by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which have warned the UN that they consider the areas of Lebanon closest to their territory to be a theater of operations, have requested the evacuation of more than 20 observation posts manned by UNIFIL troops. The IDF has warned that it cannot guarantee their security, according to UN sources.

Although military circles interpret this message as a veiled threat, the United Nations has decided to maintain its forward positions, although it has reduced the number of personnel deployed there to a minimum and has tightened security measures. These positions are the most vulnerable, as evidenced by the death of a Spanish corporal, Francisco Javier Soria, at a UNIFIL post in January 2015. “The security of the blue helmets remains our top priority,” UN officials stress.

However, senior officials admit that UNIFIL can no longer fulfil its primary role: monitoring a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that has been shattered in recent weeks. They also acknowledge that it has been left without its main partner following the withdrawal of the Lebanese Armed Forces from the border areas. But they argue that UNIFIL’s presence is essential to protect the civilian population in the area and support the delivery of humanitarian aid, and that the UN deployment is currently the only channel of communication between the two warring parties.

The withdrawal of the blue helmets from these observation posts would leave the international community without information about what is happening on the ground, military sources add. “And witnesses are always uncomfortable, especially for the invading force; in this case, Israel.” They add: “Once abandoned, it would be very difficult to recover positions that mark one of the hottest borders in the world.” In theory, the aim of the Israeli operation is to eliminate Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in the vicinity of its northern border, but the Netanyahu government makes no secret of its intention to create a buffer zone south of the Litani River, in the area where UN troops operate.

Support from Spain

Spain, which currently plays a leading role in UNIFIL, fully supports the United Nations’ firm stance. A Spanish Major General, Aroldo Lázaro, leads the more than 10,000 soldiers and 800 civilians from 50 countries that make up the UN mission. And a Spanish Brigadier General, Guillermo García del Barrio, leads the multinational Lebanon Brigade in the eastern sector, which includes 670 Spanish troops.

Some of the posts Israel has asked to be evacuated are in the Spanish sector and the remainder are in the Italian sector of the Blue Line, which acts as a de facto border due to the lack of agreement on territorial boundaries between Lebanon and Israel.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Friday that he is in permanent contact with the head of UN peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, whom he met recently in New York, and assured that the presence of UNIFIL, despite the worsening situation in Lebanon, “is key to the security and stability of the region.”

Speaking before the Security Council on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that “UNIFIL peacekeepers remain in position, and the UN flag continues to fly despite Israel’s request to relocate.” Guterres expressed his gratitude to countries contributing troops to the mission in Lebanon. In an unprecedented move, Israel has declared Guterres persona non grata and banned him from entering the country, accusing him of not condemning Iran’s missile attack on October 1 strongly enough.

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