Israel disrupts UN surveillance along the Lebanese border

Israeli forces have destroyed 17 surveillance cameras belonging to United Nations peacekeepers, disrupting the mission’s ability to monitor activity along the Lebanese border, as reported by Asharq Al-Awsat via AFP on April 4th.

A UN security official, who requested anonymity, said the cameras were destroyed within 24 hours at the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura.

UNIFIL spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel said peacekeepers had observed Israeli soldiers carrying out demolitions in the town since the start of the week, with blasts damaging civilian buildings and the mission’s headquarters.

The cameras were mounted at observation points along the Blue Line, the UN-demarcated border between Lebanon and Israel, to monitor activity in the area.

They were destroyed as Israeli forces carried out demolitions and expanded their operations in southern Lebanon, The New Arab reported on April 4th.

Israel’s military did not immediately comment on the destruction and has accused Hezbollah of firing “a rocket that landed in a UNIFIL outpost.”

The developments come as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified since the conflict reignited on 2 March, with Hezbollah launching attacks and Israeli forces pushing further into border areas.

UNIFIL has also reported incidents affecting its personnel, including the deaths of three Indonesian peacekeepers in two separate incidents over the past week and an explosion at a UN base near Adaisseh that wounded three others.

Israel’s military said Hezbollah was responsible for at least one of the incidents, while Indonesia condemned the attacks as “unacceptable” and called for stronger protection of UN peacekeepers.

The force operates under a UN mandate established in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and support stability in the south.

It has faced repeated security incidents in recent months, including a roadside blast that killed UN peacekeepers and earlier Israeli strikes near UN positions.

AFP via Asharq Al-Awsat, The New Arab and agencies, Maghrebi.org