A UNIFIL patrol was briefly stopped in Shaqra (Bint Jbeil) by locals on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, before the arrival of the Lebanese Army allowed the peacekeepers to continue on their way. (Photo obtained by L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah)
A patrol of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was again stopped on Tuesday by residents in south Lebanon, this time in Shaqra (Bint Jbeil), according to L'Orient Today's regional correspondent Muntasser Abdallah. While such scenes typically force the peacekeepers to turn back, the intervention by the Lebanese Army allowed the patrol to continue its route.
“The issue was quickly resolved: a patrol was stopped, then the Lebanese Army intervened shortly after, allowing the peacekeepers to proceed,” UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told L’Orient Today. “Resolution 1701 grants UNIFIL the authority to move freely and conduct patrols, with or without the Lebanese army,” adding that “this is part of our mandate, and freedom of movement is essential for fulfilling our mandated tasks.”
Theoretically, the U.N. force can move independently “in sectors where its forces are deployed” (Article 12 of U.N. Resolution 1701), but pressure from Hezbollah in recent years has challenged UNIFIL’s freedom of movement in south Lebanon without the Lebanese Army.
Resolution 1701, adopted after the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, significantly expanded UNIFIL's mandates, present in south Lebanon since 1978. This resolution frames the cease-fire agreement signed on Nov. 27, 2024, between Lebanon and Israel. Peacekeepers are tasked with assisting the Lebanese army in dismantling Hezbollah's infrastructure south of the Litani River. Last week, UNIFIL announced the discovery of over 225 weapons caches in the south since the ceasefire’s implementation and enabled the Lebanese army to “redeploy at more than 120 permanent positions south of the Litani,” approximately 30 km from the Israeli border.
The limited capacity of the Lebanese Army, which must also deploy on the Syrian border where clashes have erupted recently between clans and Syrian security forces, has forced UNIFIL to increase patrols without the Lebanese Army in recent weeks. This has drawn criticism from south Lebanon residents towards UNIFIL. Some experts argued that those blocking UNIFIL follow instructions from Hezbollah, which seeks to maintain its infrastructure in south Lebanon. Less than a month ago, a security official stated to AFP that the Lebanese Army had dismantled more than 90 percent of Hezbollah’s infrastructure south of the Litani River. The party claims to be fully cooperating with the Lebanese state in this matter.