The United Nations has refused to evacuate the observation posts that theblue helmets have on the separation line between Lebanon and Israel – converted into a front for fighting between Israeli troops and the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah – as the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded. The Israeli Defense Forces, which have warned the UN that they consider the areas of Lebanon closest to their territory to be theaters of operations, have requested the evacuation of more than twenty observation posts of the Unifil (United Nations Interim Force). United Nations for Lebanon). The Israeli army warns that it cannot guarantee their security, according to sources from the international organization.
Although in military circles this message is interpreted as a veiled threat, the United Nations has decided to maintain its advanced positions, although it has reduced the personnel deployed there to a minimum and has tightened security measures. These positions are the most vulnerable, as evidenced by the death in one of them of the Spanish corporal Francisco Javier Soria, in January 2015. “The safety of the blue helmets remains our first priority,” UN spokespersons emphasize.
Its top officials admit that Unifil can no longer fulfill its main task: monitoring a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that has blown up. And they recognize that they have been left without their main partner, after the withdrawal of the Lebanese Armed Forces from the border areas. But they allege that their presence is essential to protect the civilian population in the area and support the distribution of humanitarian aid and that Unifil currently constitutes the only channel of communication between the two contenders.
The departure of the blue helmets of these observation posts would leave the international community without information about what is happening on the ground, military sources add. “And witnesses are always uncomfortable, especially for the invading force, in this case Israel.” And they add: “Once abandoned, it would be very difficult to recover positions that mark one of the hottest borders in the world.” In theory, the objective of the Israeli operation is to eliminate Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in the vicinity of its northern border, but the Netanyahu Government does not hide its purpose of creating a buffer zone south of the Litani River, right in the area where they operate. United Nations troops.
Support from Spain
Spain, which currently has a leading role in Unifil, fully supports the firmness of the United Nations. A Spanish major general, Aroldo Lázaro, leads the more than 10,000 military personnel and 800 civilians from 50 countries that make up the UN mission. And a Spanish brigadier general, Guillermo García del Barrio, directs the eastern multinational brigade, in which there are 670 Spaniards. Mostly from the Aragón brigade.
Part of the posts that Israel has asked to be evacuated are in the sector under Spanish command and the rest in the Italian sector of the Blue Line, which serves as a border due to the lack of agreement on the territorial limits between Lebanon and Israel.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, said this Friday in Congress that he is in permanent contact with the head of UN peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, with whom he recently met in New York, and has assured that the task of the blue helmets is “indispensable” and their presence is “key to the security and stability of the region”, although the responsibility for achieving the immediate ceasefire that Spain demands is that of the contenders.
In his speech before the UN Security Council last Wednesday, its Secretary General, António Guterres, stressed that “Unifil’s peacekeepers remain in place and the United Nations flag continues to fly, despite the request of Israel to relocate.” Guterres expressed his gratitude to the countries that contribute troops to the mission in Lebanon. In an unprecedented decision, Israel has declared to the Secretary General of the United Nations persona non grata and has banned him from entering the country, accusing him of not condemning Iran’s missile attack on the 1st with sufficient firmness.
