PARIS: UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix on Tuesday said the presence of UN peacekeepers on the Israel-Lebanon border has never been more crucial, as fears grow of an escalation in the Middle East.
Since the Israeli war started in Gaza on October 7, Israel and the Lebanese movement Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, have exchanged a near-daily cross-border fire.
But the fears have grown of a wider conflict in the region, especially after the killing, blamed on Israel, of a top Hamas leader in Iran and an Israeli air strike that killed a Hezbollah commander in Beirut last week.
The role of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, was today “more important than ever,” Jean-Pierre Lacroix told Western media.
“It’s the only liaison channel between the Israeli side and the Lebanese side in all its components, such as Hezbollah,” he said.
The UN official said, “It’s fundamental because it allows us to clarify certain things and avoid misunderstandings… miscalculations, uncontrolled and unwanted escalations.”
Lacroix went on to say the peacekeepers were staying in the region for now. He added the UN peacekeeping force had already seen several of its members injured and damage to some of its camps.
UNIFIL patrols have occasionally faced harassment, but in December 2022 an Irish soldier affiliated with the force was killed and three colleagues injured when their convoy came under fire in south Lebanon.
The UN peacekeeping chief noted a ceasefire in Gaza was key to de-escalation on the Israeli-Lebanon border.
“What we want is a cessation of hostilities in Gaza as well as between Lebanon and Israel straight away, because each day that goes by brings its batch of victims, destruction and displacements, and it cannot last,” he said.
Lacroix said he was optimistic the UN Security Council would renew the mandate of UNIFIL, which runs out at the end of the month, for another year.
