Lebanon to file UN complaint over Israeli border wall
BEIRUT: Lebanon said on Saturday (Nov 15) it will file a complaint to the UN Security Council over Israel’s construction of a concrete wall along the southern border that Beirut says extends beyond the UN-mapped Blue Line.
The Blue Line marks the boundary separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israeli forces withdrew to this line when they exited southern Lebanon in 2000.
The Lebanese presidency said the ongoing construction infringes on Lebanon’s sovereignty and violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
UN CONCERNS OVER TERRITORY ACCESS
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday that the wall has rendered more than 4,000 sq m of Lebanese land inaccessible to residents, and that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has requested its removal.
An Israeli military spokesperson rejected the allegation that the wall crosses the Blue Line, saying it is part of a broader defensive plan that began in 2022. The military said Israel has reinforced northern border defences since the current war began.
UNIFIL, which patrols the area between the Litani River and the Blue Line, has more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries and about 800 civilian staff, according to the mission.
