Vehicles from UNIFIL passing through the village of Kfar Kila in South Lebanon, April 6, 2025. RABIH DAHER/AFP
BEIRUT — United Nations peacekeepers were blocked on Friday by civilians while patrolling near the southern Lebanese town of Tayr Debba in the Sour district, a spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) told L’Orient Today.
A video circulating on social media appears to show individuals on motorcycles confronting and forcing UNIFIL vehicles to reverse, claiming they will not be allowed to pass because they were not accompanied by Lebanese Army personnel.
UNIFIL confirmed the incident but did not specify whether Lebanese troops were present at the time, stating only that the mission operates "in close coordination" with the Lebanese Army.
"This morning, UNIFIL soldiers patrolling to support Resolution 1701 were blocked twice near Tayr Debba by civilians. The peacekeepers took another route and were followed for a while, but they managed to continue their patrol," the UNIFIL spokesperson said.
The incident was reported to the Lebanese Army, the spokesperson added.
"We remind everyone that peacekeepers work in close coordination with the Lebanese Army to support the Lebanese government in implementing Resolution 1701 during this delicate period. Any attempt to interfere with the peacekeepers in the exercise of their duties is incompatible with Lebanon's commitment to Resolution 1701," the statement continued.
UNIFIL was established in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces following their invasion of Lebanon. It maintains a significant presence in the South, where tensions between residents — many of whom support Hezbollah — and UNIFIL patrols are not uncommon.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, remains the legal basis for the current cease-fire agreement that came into effect on Nov. 27, 2006, which ended the latest war with Israel. Article 12 of Resolution 1701 stipulates that the "government of Lebanon ... authorizes UNIFIL to take all necessary action in the areas of deployment of its forces ... and to resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties under the mandate of the Security Council."
