What is UNIFIL? | Explanatory messages

The Israeli military has fired on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and international peacekeepers in Lebanon, according to a UN statement.

“This morning two peacekeepers were injured following an IDF operation [Israeli army] The Merkava tank fired its weapon at a lookout tower at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqura [Naqoura]“They hit it directly and dropped it,” a UNIFIL spokesman said on Sunday.

Israel confirmed its “military presence” in the region and claimed that it was working with Hezbollah fighters who were near the UN positions.

What is UNIFIL?

UNIFIL is a peacekeeping mission established by the UN Security Council (UNSC) in March 1978, a few days after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

The United Nations Security Council adopted resolutions 425 and 426 calling on Israel to withdraw from Lebanon. They also decided to create UNIFIL.

According to the founding decision, UNIFIL was deployed to Lebanon to achieve three objectives: “Confirming the withdrawal of Israeli forces, restoring international peace and security, assisting the Lebanese government in ensuring the restoration of its effective authority in the region.”

Because UNIFIL’s focus is in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border, it has a presence in several locations traditionally associated with the powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah.

So are they soldiers?

NO.

The individual peacekeepers could have been soldiers in their home country. But in peacekeeping missions they do not take part in combat operations.

Peacekeepers must remain impartial and may only be present with the consent of the country in which they are stationed.

According to the UN: “Today’s multidimensional peacekeeping operations… not only maintain peace and security, but also facilitate the political process, protect civilians, assist in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants, support the organization of elections, protect and promote human rights.” and help restore the rule of law.”

How big is UNIFIL?

UNIFIL includes more than 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 nations. On September 2nd they were:

• Indonesia – 1,231
• Italy – 1,068
• India – 903
• Nepal – 876
• Ghana – 873
• Malaysia – 833
• Spain – 676
• France – 673
• China – 418
• Ireland – 370
• Republic of Korea – 294
• Poland – 213
• Finland – 205
• Cambodia – 185
• Serbia – 182
• Austria – 165
• Greece – 131
• Sri Lanka – 126
• Tanzania – 125
• Bangladesh – 120
• Germany – 112
• Türkiye – 92
• El Salvador – 52
• Moldova – 32
• Brunei – 29
• Hungary – 15
• Brazil – 11
• Malta – 9
• Republic of North Macedonia – 5
• Mongolia – 4
• Argentina, 3
• Kenya – 3
• Latvia – 3
• Sierra Leone – 3
• Cyprus – 2
• Guatemala – 2
• Zambia – 2
• Armenia – 1
• United Kingdom – 1
• Colombia -1
• Croatia – 1
• Estonia – 1
• Fiji – 1
• Kazakhstan – 1
• Malawi – 1
• Netherlands – 1
• Nigeria – 1
• Peru – 1
• Qatar – 1
• Uruguay – 1

In addition, around 800 civilian employees are employed worldwide.

Where is it in Lebanon?

In the south.

UNIFIL’s presence extends from the Litani River to the Blue Line.

This area covers 1,060 square kilometers (409 square miles), where UNIFIL has 50 posts. The headquarters are in Naqoura in the southwest.

What is the blue line?

Established in 2000, the Blue Line is a 120 km (75 mile) long “border” drawn by the United Nations between Lebanon and Israel.

Its main purpose is to confirm the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanese territory in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426.

So how does it work?

In accordance with their mission and to maintain peace along the Blue Line, the Israeli and Lebanese authorities are obliged to inform UNIFIL in advance of any activities in their area.

This includes routine maintenance and safety operations.

This protocol helps UNIFIL to effectively monitor and manage the sensitive border region.

Did UNIFIL only have to act in 1978?

No, there were a few wars that UNIFIL went through.

In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon again, advancing north to Beirut and occupying the entire south.

Until the end of the invasion in 1985, UNIFIL was behind Israeli lines, its role limited to protecting the people of the south and providing humanitarian assistance wherever possible.

In 2006, Israel invaded southern Lebanon again in a war against Hezbollah that lasted about a month.

In August of that year, UN Resolution 1701 was passed to resolve the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, hoping to secure a permanent ceasefire around a demilitarized buffer zone.