UN peacekeepers warn Israel operations near their position 'extremely dangerous'

United Nations peacekeepers (UNIFIL) in Lebanon’s war-ravaged south warned on Sunday that Israel’s operations near one of their positions were dangerous and compromised their safety.

The appeal came a day after UNIFIL said it would not leave positions in the south despite what it said was an Israeli request to “relocate”.

“UNIFIL is deeply concerned by recent activities by the IDF immediately adjacent to the Mission’s position 6-52, southeast of Maroun al-Ras… inside Lebanese territory,” it said in a statement on social media platform X.

“This is an extremely dangerous development. It is unacceptable to compromise the safety of UN peacekeepers carrying out their Security Council-mandated tasks,” it added.

UNIFIL said the Israeli army “has been repeatedly informed of this ongoing situation through regular channels” and called on “all actors of their obligations to protect UN personnel and property”.

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Israel’s military said on Tuesday that troops had begun “targeted” ground raids in south Lebanon against the Hezbollah movement.

Hezbollah said it had clashed with Israeli troops in the Maroun al-Ras area and confronted attempted infiltrations there several times this week.

Israel has intensified its campaign against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah since September 23, killing more than 1,110 people and forcing more than one million people to flee their homes, according to official figures.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, stipulated that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be deployed between the Israeli border and the Litani River.