UN peacekeepers warn against sensitive activities on Lebanese-Israeli borders

Beirut: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has warned against conducting any works or activities that could lead to tension near the Lebanese-Israeli borders, state media reported.

The UN agency’s Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti on Friday said that “UNIFIL peacekeepers are on the ground at the works site to monitor if there is any violation of the Blue Line, reduce tension and prevent misunderstandings”.

“We are in constant contact with both parties and stress the sensitivity of any works or activities close to the Blue Line,” he added.

Tennent’s remarks came two days after rising tensions on Lebanon’s southern border as an excavator from the Israeli side crossed the demarcation line between the two countries, prompting the Lebanese army to halt Israeli military engineering work, Xinhua news agency reported.

The border has been mostly quiet since Israel fought a 2006 war against Hezbollah, except for some tensions on the border caused by Palestinian factions in Lebanon occasionally firing on Israel in the past.