UNIFIL UNDER FIRE: ISRAEL'S LONG CAMPAIGN TO UNDERMINE PEACE IN LEBANON
{Preface}
As a Lebanese who worked with United Nations during the 2006 Israeli war, I’ve seen what occupation does to a nation. Our sovereignty, fragile as it may seem to the outside world, is something we fight for with every breath. We are more than a nation under siege—we are the spirit of resistance, determined to guard our freedom, even as the world looks the other way. Lebanon’s story is not unique. For decades, Palestine has suffered under the same assault, their right to exist eroded by the same aggressor. What’s happening to us is a prelude to what could happen elsewhere.
Every citizen living under a centralized financial system is, unknowingly, Lebanese. As central banks strip economic sovereignty, they mirror the erasure of borders through military occupation. If Israel continues unchecked, the world will eventually realize that we are all Palestinians and Lebanese, fighting battles for freedom that we never thought could be taken from us.
{Unifil Under Fire: Israel's Long Campaign To Undermine Peace In Lebanon}
On October 13, 2024, Israeli tanks rolled through the gates of a UNIFIL base in Ramyah, southern Lebanon, in a direct violation of international law. At around 4:30 a.m., two Merkava tanks destroyed the main gate of the peacekeeping base, forcing their way in and demanding that the peacekeepers turn off the base’s lights. For nearly an hour, they held control of the compound before withdrawing under protest from UNIFIL personnel. But the situation escalated further a couple of hours later when Israeli forces fired several rounds nearby, releasing smoke that seeped into the compound, leaving 15 peacekeepers suffering from skin irritations and gastrointestinal reactions.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Just two days earlier, on October 11, Israeli shelling near UNIFIL’s Naqoura base had already injured several peacekeepers. And on October 12, Israeli soldiers had blocked a critical UNIFIL logistical convoy near Meiss ej Jebel, further restricting their freedom of movement. These are not random acts. They are part of a systematic effort by Israel to undermine the peacekeeping force’s mission and weaken Lebanon’s sovereignty.
{A History Of Violations}
To understand the scope of this problem, you need to look back. UNIFIL was established in 1978 after Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon. Its mission: to maintain peace, monitor the cessation of hostilities, and ensure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory. However, Israel has consistently violated that mandate. One of the bloodiest episodes was the #Qana Massacre in 1996, when over 100 civilians taking shelter in a UN compound were killed by Israeli artillery fire. Another dark chapter came in 2006, during the Lebanon War, when Israeli airstrikes targeted a UNIFIL observation post near Khiyam, killing four peacekeepers from China, Austria, Finland, and Canada. These strikes continued for hours, despite repeated warnings to the Israeli military to halt the attack.
Since its inception, 325 UNIFIL personnel have lost their lives in Lebanon, many of them killed by Israeli actions. Between 2018 and 2020, Israel violated Lebanese airspace over 1,500 times, using drones and fighter jets to conduct surveillance and airstrikes in the region. But it’s not just air raids. There have been 85 recorded incidents between 2011 and 2020 where Israeli forces either blocked or detained UNIFIL personnel, directly impeding their ability to fulfill their mandate. Each violation chips away at Lebanon’s sovereignty, and each breach undermines the credibility of international peacekeeping efforts.
{Political Motives: Undermining Unifil To Control Southern Lebanon}
The recent escalation of attacks on UNIFIL is not without political context. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that he wants UNIFIL out of southern Lebanon. In the days leading up to the October 13 attack, Netanyahu called for UNIFIL’s withdrawal, accusing the peacekeepers of serving as “human shields” for Hezbollah. But this narrative is a convenient excuse, one Israel has long relied on. By claiming Hezbollah is operating near UNIFIL positions, Israel justifies its continuous violations while providing no substantial evidence.
Israel’s true goal seems clear: removing UNIFIL from southern Lebanon would allow Israel to operate without the burden of international oversight, giving it greater freedom to strike Hezbollah and other targets at will. By attacking peacekeepers and restricting their movements, Israel sends a strong message to the world—we don’t want you here.
{International Reaction: Condemnation Without Consequences}
International reactions to Israel’s actions have been swift but largely symbolic. Over 40 countries contributing to UNIFIL, with 10000 UNIFIL military personnel in Lebanon, have condemned these violations, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that attacks on UN peacekeepers could constitute war crimes under international law. Even the #UnitedStates, Israel’s staunchest ally, has called for restraint. Yet, these words have done little to stop Israel from continuing its aggressive behavior.
UN #Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, explicitly calls for the protection of UN personnel and respect for Lebanese sovereignty. But every violation, every cross-border raid, and every act of aggression against UNIFIL undermines this resolution. The question is: how long will the world let this go on?
{What's At Stake}
This isn’t just about Lebanon anymore. Israel’s actions against UNIFIL represent a broader attack on international peacekeeping itself. If peacekeepers can be targeted without consequences, what does that say about the role of the United Nations in conflict zones? Lebanon’s sovereignty is at stake, but so is the credibility of international institutions.
And this extends beyond the battlefield. What’s happening in Lebanon is happening to the world, economically and politically. Every citizen living under a centralized financial system is, in many ways, already Lebanese. Central banks, like occupying armies, strip nations of their sovereignty. They dictate economic policies, control currencies, and reduce the #freedom of nations to govern their own destinies. The erosion of financial sovereignty is just another form of occupation, one that operates silently but no less destructively.
{Conclusion}
Israel’s unchecked aggression in Lebanon is not just an attack on borders—it’s an attack on the very concept of sovereignty. Lebanon’s fight is #Palestine’s fight, and soon, it could be the world’s fight. Every nation struggling under the weight of centralized financial control will eventually realize what we in Lebanon and Palestine have known for decades: the fight for sovereignty—whether it’s over land or over currency—is the same. We are all Palestinians and Lebanese, but most of the world doesn’t know it yet.
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As I’ve detailed in my paper "Exposing Expansionism: The Greater Israel Ideology and Its Threat to Lebanon" [Link below], what’s happening in southern Lebanon is part of a larger plan tied to the vision of Greater Israel. This ideology, which seeks to expand Israel’s borders beyond what is internationally recognized, has long been a driving force behind Israeli aggression. The relentless attacks on #UNIFIL and the civilian population are not random; they’re deliberate steps toward this territorial ambition.
You can find more on this in my investigation, where I dive deep into the historical roots, political figures like Netanyahu and Smotrich, and the settler organizations actively working to colonize southern #Lebanon.
The map #Netanyahu brandished at the 2024 #UN General Assembly, which effectively erased Palestine and extended Israeli control into #Lebanon and #Syria, is the clearest expression yet of these expansionist plans. If the international community continues to turn a blind eye, #Israel’s actions today will pave the way for further annexation and domination.
#MiddleEast #Gaza #Beirut
#Nostr #Bitcoin #Nostrasia
UNIFIL UNDER FIRE: ISRAEL'S LONG…
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