Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun asked the foreign minister on Saturday to begin preparing a complaint against Israel. The move comes after Israel started building a concrete wall along the southern border. Lebanese officials say the wall extends beyond the “Blue Line.”
The Blue Line is the boundary the United Nations drew to separate Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel withdrew its forces to this line when it pulled out of southern Lebanon in 2000.
U.N. Raises Concerns
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said on Friday that the construction has blocked access to more than 4,000 square meters of Lebanese land. Local residents can no longer reach that area.
President Aoun’s office said the complaint will include UNIFIL’s statement on the issue. UNIFIL is the UN peacekeeping force that operates along the Lebanon-Israel border.
UNIFIL Reports Wall Crossing the Line
On Friday, UNIFIL confirmed that the Israeli army built the wall southwest of the Lebanese village of Yaroun. According to its assessment, the construction crossed the Blue Line. It also said the wall made over 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet) of Lebanese land “inaccessible to the Lebanese people.”
UNIFIL informed the Israeli army about its findings and asked them to remove the wall.
The peacekeeping mission added that the wall violates the UN Security Council resolution that ended the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah. That ceasefire was brokered by the United States and took effect in November last year. UNIFIL said the construction also violates “Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Role of UNIFIL
UNIFIL was set up in 1978. It operates between the Litani River in the north and the Blue Line in the south. The mission has more than 10,000 soldiers from 50 countries and about 800 civilian staff, according to its website.
Israel Defends Construction
The Israeli military said the wall is part of a long-term plan to strengthen the border. Construction began in 2022. Since the start of the Israel-Hezbollah war, the army has taken several steps to reinforce the physical barrier along the northern boundary.
The Israeli army also said the wall does not cross the Blue Line. It insisted that the barrier remains within the boundary the United Nations marked and that UNIFIL monitors.
Background to the Conflict
The Israel-Hezbollah war began after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel on October 8, 2023. The attack came one day after a deadly Hamas-led assault in southern Israel triggered the Gaza war. Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon. The clashes intensified over the next year and turned into a full war in late September 2024.