Warnings of violence expanding across the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel

Ahmed Atef (Beirut, Cairo)

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, expressed his deep concern about the violence across the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel.
During his visit to Lebanon, which lasted 4 days and ended the day before yesterday, Lacroix stressed the need for all parties to adhere to Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire and to reach a lasting political and diplomatic solution, stressing that “this is the only way to achieve lasting peace.”
A statement issued by the international forces operating in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) yesterday said that Lacroix’s visit was part of a regular visit to peacekeeping missions in the Middle East, and it came in light of the intense tension along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel.
During the visit, Lacroix met with senior Lebanese officials, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, Defense Minister Maurice Slim, Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, and Acting Director General of Public Security Major General Elias Al-Bisri. . During the visit, Lacroix discussed the important role played by UNIFIL in calming tension along the Blue Line.
According to the statement, the UN official met with the ambassadors of the countries contributing military forces to UNIFIL, the ambassadors of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and also met with other members of the diplomatic corps.
The statement added: “His main message in those meetings was the need to calm tensions in the region that could have potential implications for peace and stability in Lebanon.” At the end of his tour in Lebanon, Lacroix said: “We are deeply concerned about the violence across the Blue Line and the rhetoric that we have witnessed since October 8, which indicates the possibility of a broader escalation, which must be avoided at all costs.”
He added: “We continue to urge all parties to cease fire; Because every day that this situation continues increases the risk of a larger and more destructive conflict. Since the exchange of fire began, dozens of civilians and journalists have been injured or killed, and UNIFIL positions have been bombed more than 20 times, resulting in the injury of three peacekeepers.
Political experts and analysts stressed, in statements to Al-Ittihad, the role of UNIFIL forces in supporting the Lebanese army by deploying in the south of the country, providing logistical and training support to it, and protecting civilians from any threats.
The Lebanese political analyst, Bashir Ismat, explained that the presence of international forces in the south of the country, as much as it appears to be a regional or international security issue, is rather an internal issue over which there is a dispute between the Lebanese parties, about the existence of these forces in the first place and their powers, considering that there is no discussion about their presence at the time. Now, it is an international decision, even though the international community in previous stages indicated that there was no need for these forces.
Ismat said in a statement to Al-Ittihad that “in any case, what determines the future of international forces in Lebanon is the balance of power that Western countries may take into consideration and will be visible to the public, and in the current period in light of international tensions and escalation in Gaza.”
For his part, Lebanese political analyst Muhammad Al-Raz pointed out that developments on the Lebanese-Israeli front are still governed by the rules of engagement that have been established since 2006 until now, despite a number of violations, considering that the presence of international emergency forces in southern Lebanon, by a UN decision and with American and European keenness, has become part of Under the roof of international efforts to prevent the expansion of escalation in Gaza towards Lebanon and within the framework of the American project to confirm International Resolution 1701.
Al-Raz believes, in a statement to Al-Ittihad, that the keenness to renew the international emergency forces in Lebanon comes in line with what efforts have achieved in this direction and reflects the Lebanese government’s continued adherence to the international resolution despite the attacks that UNIFIL is exposed to on its headquarters and the clash with Some southern villages.
Criticisms
In the same context, Dr. Leila Nicola, professor of international relations at the Lebanese University, revealed that despite the criticism directed at international peacekeeping forces in general, especially those operating under Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter, in their inability to prevent the escalation of conflicts, The presence of UNIFIL is a basic Lebanese need and interest, and of course the forces cannot, within the tasks assigned to them, prevent the escalation of the conflict between Lebanon and Israel, or control the presence of weapons, but their presence constitutes an umbrella of international trust for Lebanon.
Dr. Leila added, in a statement to Al-Ittihad, that UNIFIL constitutes a security, economic and social stabilization factor for southern Lebanon, in its capacity as a neutral international observer, working in Lebanon within a specific mission in cooperation with the Lebanese army.