Soldiers from the Spanish contingent of UNIFIL in Khiam, Aug. 23, 2024. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
The renewal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)’s mandate is already proving challenging. Less than a week after the U.N. Security Council extended the peacekeeping mission’s stay in southern Lebanon for another year, contractors working for UNIFIL were targeted in two separate attacks within 48 hours. These incidents stand in stark contrast to the relatively calm front that had emerged after Hezbollah’s retaliation on Aug. 25 for the assassination of its military commander, Fouad Shukur, in late July. Are these attacks mere coincidences, or could they signal deeper tensions aimed at sending a message to the U.N. peacekeeping force?Such questions are pressing in Lebanon, especially given the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel since early October. The first incident, on Monday, involved an Israeli drone...
The renewal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)’s mandate is already proving challenging. Less than a week after the U.N. Security Council extended the peacekeeping mission’s stay in southern Lebanon for another year, contractors working for UNIFIL were targeted in two separate attacks within 48 hours. These incidents stand in stark contrast to the relatively calm front that had emerged after Hezbollah’s retaliation on Aug. 25 for the assassination of its military commander, Fouad Shukur, in late July. Are these attacks mere coincidences, or could they signal deeper tensions aimed at sending a message to the U.N. peacekeeping force?Such questions are pressing in Lebanon, especially given the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel since early October. The first incident, on Monday, involved an Israeli...
