Members of the Lebanese Army drive military vehicles during a media tour organized by the army to examine its operations in the southern Litani sector, in Naqoura. (Credit: Aziz Taher/Reuters)
A dispute that appears to have been swiftly resolved broke out Thursday between the municipality of Jbal al-Botom (Sour district) and the U.N. peacekeepers, sparking anger among residents and prompting the president of the municipal council, Abdel Aziz Mehanna, to ask the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to leave the village, reports our correspondent in the South.
Upon the arrival of the Lebanese Army, the international force left the area, according to a municipality statement. Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, UNIFIL did not comment at this time.
According to details reported by the state-run National News Agency (NNA), Jbal al-Botom on Wednesday hosted the Malaysian UNIFIL contingent at the village clinic as part of a medical day for residents.
Our correspondent notes that, "Following a meeting held a few days earlier with the president of the municipal council, UNIFIL had been allowed to use the municipal courtyard as a temporary starting point for its patrols to neighboring villages, and not as a parking area."
However, Thursday morning, "the municipality was surprised by the large number of soldiers who transformed the ground floor of the municipal building into what looked like a military barracks: military tarps were set up, maps, televisions, and military signaling poles were placed in the municipal building, in violation of the previously agreed terms," the statement from the municipality and NNA said.
According to our correspondent, the Malaysian force "suddenly entered Jbal al-Botom and the municipal compound with several military vehicles. They positioned themselves and set up tents, while some soldiers deployed on the roof of the municipal building, in behavior deemed unacceptable."
The president of the municipal council noted that the peacekeepers "took the coordinates of homes near the municipality and the husseinya [gathering hall for Shiite ritual ceremonies], and photographed people entering and leaving the municipal building."
The incident provoked anger from locals and municipal employees, with residents gathering to protest and employees demanding the U.N. force leave. "A unit of the Lebanese Army then intervened, after which UNIFIL evacuated the municipal courtyard," our correspondent reported.
According to the mayor, "the gathering of residents was limited to a few young people from the village, motivated solely by curiosity to follow what was happening on the ground."
Meanwhile, according to the mayor, a joint force of the Lebanese Army and the Malaysian contingent was inspecting several locations within the village. "No obstruction or incidents were recorded on the part of the inhabitants of Jbal al-Botom," our correspondent also noted.
The municipality reaffirmed that the Lebanese Army is always welcome, praising its considerable efforts to strengthen the resilience of residents and defend the South and Lebanon.
UNIFIL movements without the Lebanese army have increased in line with the provisions of the November 2024 cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, which notably includes dismantling the party's infrastructure south of the Litani River.
The army, which must also deploy to the border with Syria — a particularly porous area subject to repeated tensions in recent months between Shiite clans and new Syrian security forces — benefits from UNIFIL’s help in uncovering Hezbollah arms caches in southern Lebanon.
Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon, demolishes buildings in Bint Jbeil