UN halts operations after chemical incident in Lebanon

A UN peace-keeping mission in Lebanon claims to have come under under a chemical attack by Israel.

Peacekeeping operations in southern Lebanon were suspended for several hours after Israeli forces dispersed an unknown chemical substance near the border, raising health and environmental concerns, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said on February 3, 2026, according to The New Arab.

In a statement posted on X, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said Israeli forces had informed the mission early on Sunday of a planned aerial operation involving the release of a chemical substance near the Blue Line, the UN-demarcated boundary marking Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.

UNIFIL said Israeli forces ordered peacekeepers to pull back from the affected area and remain under cover, leading to the suspension of more than a dozen field activities. Operations were halted along approximately one third of the Blue Line for over nine hours before resuming.

The mission said it supported the Lebanese Armed Forces in collecting samples from the affected areas for toxicity testing, after Israeli authorities claimed the substance was non-toxic.

UNIFIL described the incident as unacceptable and said it constituted a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel and governs military conduct along the border.

The peacekeeping force warned that the operation may have placed both its personnel and civilians at risk and raised concerns about potential damage to agricultural land near the border. It also cited possible long-term consequences for residents attempting to return to their homes and livelihoods.

UNIFIL said this was not the first instance in which Israeli aircraft had dispersed unidentified chemical substances over Lebanese territory, and urged Israel to halt such actions and comply with its obligations to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of peacekeepers.

Separately, Tamara Zein, Lebanon’s environment minister, said she had contacted army commander Rodolphe Haykal after receiving reports from border areas including Aita al-Shaab that chemical or pesticide-like substances had been sprayed by Israeli aircraft.

Zein said samples had been requested for laboratory analysis to determine the nature of the materials used, adding that if toxicity were confirmed, the incident would be consistent with previous Israeli practices in southern Lebanon.

The incident comes amid growing concern over environmental damage in southern Lebanon, where repeated Israeli strikes, the documented use of white phosphorus, land clearance and unexploded ordnance have damaged forests, farmland and water sources, despite a ceasefire agreement reached late last year.

The New Arab, Maghrebi.org