French UNIFIL peacekeepers from the French contingent in Sour, July 2025. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today.)
SOUTH LEBANON — The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Wednesday denounced a "serious" Israeli drone attack on peacekeepers, which occurred yesterday while peacekeepers were clearing a road near Marwahine in South Lebanon.
In a statement, the U.N. force reported that while peacekeepers were clearing a road blocking access to one of its positions near the Blue Line, "drones of the Israeli army 'dropped four grenades' near the soldiers. One of the projectiles 'fell about 20 meters away and the other three about 100 meters from the U.N. personnel and vehicles' in the convoy, before the drones returned south of the Blue Line, toward Israeli territory," the Force added.
It pointed out that the Israeli army had been notified in advance of the planned work, southeast of Marwahine, a locality located a few kilometers from the Jabal Blat position, still occupied by Israel in Lebanese territory.
The planned work was suspended to ensure the safety of the peacekeepers, who denounced "one of the most serious attacks" against them since the cease-fire agreement, which came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024.
During the expanded offensive launched by Israel in Lebanon last autumn, UNIFIL was repeatedly targeted by gunfire. Between October and November, it reported being attacked many times by the Israeli army, and several peacekeepers were injured, notably in an Israeli strike on a watchtower.
Israeli tanks also blocked access to one of its positions and fired tear gas at the building. Rockets of unknown origin, coming from Lebanese territory, also targeted one of its positions in Beit Lif.
'Serious violation of 1701 and international law'
UNIFIL considered that "any action endangering the peacekeepers and U.N. property, as well as any interference with the tasks entrusted to them, is unacceptable and constitutes a serious violation of Resolution 1701 and international law." "It is the responsibility of the Israeli army to ensure the safety and security of the peacekeepers who carry out the tasks entrusted to them by the Security Council," the statement continued.
UNIFIL's mandate was just extended in South Lebanon for a final time in August by the Security Council. At the end of 2026, the interim force will have to begin a withdrawal plan, which will take one year and thus end in late 2027. The United States and Israel have not hidden their hostility to this U.N. presence in South Lebanon, which they consider ineffective given Hezbollah's expansion in the region since the end of the 2006 war.
The cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah was adopted in November 2024 to end more than a year of war that left Hezbollah weakened and deprived of its historic leadership.
Since then, UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army have collaborated to ensure its disarmament south of the Litani, bearing in mind that the question of handing in its weapons is now a matter for the Lebanese government, and is set to be discussed in the Cabinet on Friday.
