UNIFIL says it escorted nearly 80 civilians out of south Lebanon

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced Tuesday "that the Italian brigade facilitated today the transport of dozens of civilians from southern Lebanon to safer areas, following an appeal from the village of Alma al-Shaab."

The statement specified that the peacekeepers "accompanied 80 civilians out of the UNIFIL area of operations," emphasizing that "the operation lasted two and a half hours."

The village of Alma al-Shaab, one of the Christian localities in the border region, was targeted by Israeli fire that killed a civilian on Sunday, a man in his 70s who was on his own land. These 80 people had refused to leave their village, but faced with threats, they decided to flee for the second time since the previous war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2024.

UNIFIL specified in its statement that "since the beginning of this new escalation, UNIFIL has helped transport dozens of civilians, including children, elderly people and people with disabilities, from several villages in southern Lebanon to safer areas." The text noted that the peacekeepers "have also facilitated dozens of humanitarian operations carried out daily by the Lebanese Red Cross."