Yater residents say UNIFIL troops drew their weapons on them, which UNIFIL denies

BEIRUT — Residents in Yater, Bint Jbeil district, said on Wednesday that UNIFIL soldiers had raised their weapons at them during a confrontation with a UNIFIL patrol, according to statements made to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

When asked by L'Orient Today about these accusations, UNIFIL denied the residents' version of events.

"This morning, UNIFIL peacekeepers on a planned patrol coordinated with LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces] were stopped by a group of men in civilian clothes in Yater," a UNIFIL spokesperson told L'Orient Today. "The situation was calm, and peacekeepers were able to continue on their way about thirty minutes later."

"Contrary to some reports, peacekeepers did not draw their weapons," the spokesperson added. The peacekeepers' role in the South has greatly expanded since the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah mandated that the latter would withdraw all its fighters and military infrastructure from the area south of the Litani River.

The spokesperson recalled that UNIFIL's own mandate is outlined by the U.N. Security Council and that all its activities are coordinated with the Lebanese Armed Forces. "Any interference with peacekeeper activities is unacceptable and inconsistent with Lebanon’s commitments under resolution 1701," they added.

Residents of Yater, where a man was killed last night by an Israeli strike, said that they obstructed the entry of UNIFIL troops into the town, and then the peacekeepers bypassed them and entered from another side of the town, which led to a confrontation. It was at this point that residents say UNIFIL drew its weapons.

The Lebanese Army quickly requested reinforcements after attempting to negotiate with UNIFIL, which refused to leave the area. The site where the soldiers stationed themselves is directly opposite the Israeli Ramieh position, L'Orient Today's correspondent reported. 

In mid-May, residents of Bint Jbeil district's Jmaijmeh village condemned what they called "repeated violations by UNIFIL," accusing the peacekeeping force of "entering the area without Lebanese Army coordination and trespassing on private property."

A UNIFIL patrol was also accused in May of attempting to remove and dispose of Hezbollah flags and images of killed Hezbollah members in the border area near Aitaroun and Blida, both located in the Marjayoun district. However, a UNIFIL spokesperson denied these claims to L'Orient Today, stating that "the peacekeepers stopped for an unrelated reason and did not interfere with any flags or images."

Under the cease-fire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, brought into effect on Nov. 27, the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL have been given expanded jurisdiction over southern Lebanon, as part of the process of Hezbollah withdrawing its military to north of the Litani River.

Reporting contributed by L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah.