UN condemns violations after airstrikes and attack on patrol in Lebanon
Shafaq News – Beirut
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Friday warned of escalating violations of Security Council Resolution 1701, after Israeli airstrikes and an armed incident targeting a peacekeeping patrol in the south.
UNIFIL said its peacekeepers observed a series of Israeli airstrikes on Thursday in the villages of Marounah, Majadel, and Baraashit, describing them as “clear violations” of Resolution 1701. The mission urged the Israeli Army to use established liaison mechanisms and cautioned Lebanese actors against any response that could worsen tensions.
According to the UNIFIL, a UN patrol near Bint Jbeil was also approached by six men on three mopeds, with one of them firing three rounds into the back of the peacekeepers’ vehicle. No injuries were reported. It said attacks on its personnel are “unacceptable” and demanded a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities.
Yesterday afternoon, UNIFIL peacekeepers observed a series of Israeli airstrikes in our area of operations in south Lebanon, in the villages of Marounah, Majadel, and Baraashit.
— UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) December 5, 2025
Last month, the United Nations began reducing UNIFIL’s troop levels by roughly a quarter, a process driven by system-wide budget cuts and expected to finish by early 2026. UNIFIL spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel told Izvestia that the downsizing forms part of a broader transition as security responsibility shifts gradually to Lebanese authorities.
First deployed in 1978 and expanded after the 2006 July war, the mission currently fields contingents from more than 40 countries and monitors the 120-kilometer Blue Line. Its strength stood at around 9,900 personnel in November 2025, down from 10,500 earlier in the year. The UN Security Council extended its mandate for a final time through December 31, 2026, requesting an orderly drawdown.
The reduction unfolds amid intensifying criticism from Israel, where senior military figures have accused UNIFIL of “leaking sensitive military intelligence” to Hezbollah and hindering the army’s freedom of action along the Blue Line. One Israeli officer claimed “there is nothing good in UNIFIL,” arguing the mission “contributes nothing, certainly not to disarming Hezbollah.”
UNIFIL has firmly denied the accusations.
Despite a US-brokered ceasefire signed on November 27, 2024, Israeli troops continue to hold five positions south of the Litani River and have carried out strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs. UNIFIL says it has logged more than 8,500 Israeli air violations and ground breaches since the truce.
