UNIFIL criticizes Israel for building walls in Lebanese territory
UNIFIL said Friday that its troops conducted last month a geospatial survey of a concrete T-wall erected by the Israeli army southwest of the Lebanese border town of Yaroun.
“The survey confirmed that the wall crossed the Blue Line, rendering more than 4,000 square meters of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people,” UNIFIL said in a statement.
“UNIFIL informed the IDF (Israeli army) of our findings and requested that they move the walls. In November, peacekeepers observed additional T-wall construction in the area. A survey confirmed that a section of wall southeast of Yaroun also crossed the Blue Line. We will formally inform the IDF of our findings here as well,” it added.
“A new wall between Aytaroun and Maroun ar Ras is south of the Blue Line. Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We again call on the IDF to respect the Blue Line in its full length and withdraw from all areas north of it,” UNIFIL said.
The Israeli military later denied building a wall inside Lebanon.
When asked by AFP about the accusation, the Israeli army said: "The wall is part of a broader (Israeli military) plan whose construction began in 2022. Since the start of the war, and as part of lessons learned from it, the (Israeli military) has been advancing a series of measures, including reinforcing the physical barrier along the northern border."
"It should be emphasized that the wall does not cross the Blue Line," it added.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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