Screenshot of a video showing a patrol of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) turning back in Chebaa (Hasbaya district) on Monday, May 12, 2025. Video obtained by our correspondent in the South, Mountasser Abdallah.
History repeated itself Monday as residents of Shebaa, in the Hasbaya district, blocked United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicles from entering certain areas, forcing them to turn back. The incident was captured in a video obtained by L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.
Similar scenes have occurred in recent weeks in Tayr Debba (Sour district), Jmaijmeh and Yater (Bint Jbeil district), and Abbassieh (Sour district), where residents have expressed growing hostility toward UNIFIL patrols operating without accompaniment from the Lebanese Army.
Once again, residents justified their actions by citing the U.N. force’s movements without coordination on the ground with the Lebanese Army. “UNIFIL closely coordinates its activities with the Lebanese Army and conducts some operations jointly with them,” the mission said in a statement Monday.
UNIFIL’s freedom of movement in southern Lebanon has increasingly been challenged in recent years, particularly under pressure from Hezbollah. While the U.N. mission is authorized to move independently in areas where it is deployed — as outlined in Article 12 of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 — it operates under Chapter VI of the U.N. Charter, which limits its use of force to self-defense.
225 arms caches discovered
Since the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, “peacekeepers have discovered more than 225 arms caches and reported them to the Lebanese Army,” UNIFIL said in its statement. The force is made up of more than 10,000 personnel from nearly 50 countries.
“With UNIFIL’s support, the Lebanese Army has redeployed to more than 120 permanent positions south of the Litani River,” the statement added.
UNIFIL patrols without LAF escorts have increased as part of the implementation of the cease-fire agreement, which includes provisions for dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure south of the Litani.
The Lebanese Army, also tasked with securing the porous border with Syria, has faced repeated tensions in that region between Shiite clans and new Syrian security forces. In southern Lebanon, it is working with UNIFIL to uncover and dismantle Hezbollah arms caches.
