There are also 40 German soldiers in the Unifil headquarters in Lebanon, which has now been shot at several times. The men and women continue to work with their international partners at greater risk.
Because of multiple attacks on UN peacekeeping posts in southern Lebanon, the Bundeswehr is assuming greater danger for its men and women in the Unifil peacekeeping force. “According to the local assessment, there is an increased risk situation for the forces on site, which will be reduced as best as possible through appropriate protective measures by the troops,” said a spokesman for the Bundeswehr’s operational command to the German Press Agency in Berlin. Around 40 soldiers are in the UN headquarters camp in Nakura. “All members of the German operational contingent are doing well,” said the spokesman. The “Kieler Nachrichten” also reported.
Unifil is one of the oldest UN peace operations
Unifil’s task is to monitor compliance with the ceasefire following the 2006 Lebanon War. The UN force is supporting the Lebanese government in securing its maritime borders and preventing weapons smuggling by sea. However, the transport of armaments from Iran to Hezbollah has recently taken completely different routes than sea.
Unifil peacekeepers have been stationed in Lebanon since 1978 to promote peace between Lebanon and Israel. The mission is one of the oldest UN peacekeeping operations. The force, with more than 10,000 UN soldiers involved, is armed, but can essentially only use its weapons for self-defense.
Repeated attacks hit blue helmets in southern Lebanon
The blue helmet soldiers had been shot at several times in the past few days. You have sometimes named Israeli troops as the perpetrators, and sometimes you have spoken of an unclear situation in the fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah. On Sunday, Israeli tanks violently broke through the main gate of a UN post in Ramja.
US President Joe Biden called on the Israeli government to stop attacks on peacekeepers in Lebanon. A UN spokesman in New York warned: “Attacks on peacekeepers violate international law, including international humanitarian law. They could constitute a war crime.” The UN Security Council expressed concern.
“We call on all parties to respect the security of Unifil’s personnel and facilities,” said Swiss UN Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl, acting president of the Security Council, on behalf of all 15 members. Even Pope Francis urged people to respect the UN observation mission Unifil.
About 40 German soldiers are at Unifil headquarters
The German soldiers still deployed in Lebanon are at the headquarters of the UN mission in Nakura, according to the operational command. The men and women on staff could carry out the task, but their ability to move was severely limited by the fighting around Nakura.
On the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel (“blue line”), which Israeli troops have now crossed, states involved in the UN operation have a so-called spatial responsibility: they are responsible for a section of the route. According to figures from September, Italy (1,068), Spain (676) and France (673) provided the most soldiers among the European troop contributors of the 50 countries involved. Indonesia provided more personnel (1,231).
Germany has no soldiers stationed along this Blue Line. The German Unifil mission primarily includes command of the multinational maritime units off the coast of Lebanon. They are guided from Nakura. The German Navy also provides the corvette “Ludwigshafen am Rhein” for Unifil. In addition to the main mission of maritime surveillance, the units support the UN mission by transporting personnel and materials over sea.
Israeli government demands the withdrawal of Unifil
On land, the UN mission’s post is often strategically located on high ground with good visibility. Every military leader wants to bring such places under control during combat operations, or at least to deny them to the enemy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the immediate withdrawal of the UN observer mission from the combat zone in southern Lebanon.
Is Hezbollah taking advantage of the UN presence? Or are the UN soldiers interfering with Israel’s military plans? Both are probably true – say experts. Also that Hezbollah is positioning its own military infrastructure in close proximity to Unifil facilities and the UN mission has found no way to stop it.
The total of more than 10,000 blue helmets stand in the way of the Israeli deployment. At the same time, the United Nations is making it clear that they do not want to withdraw under any circumstances. The focus is also on further developments, i.e. the hope for a ceasefire and international help for de-escalation.
Federal Government: Combat operations should only be directed against military targets
The federal government sharply criticized the shelling of the UN peacekeeping force on Monday and called on Israel to clarify the background to such events. “All parties to the conflict, including the Israeli army, are obliged to direct their combat operations exclusively against military targets of the other party to the conflict,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin.
A major challenge for the mission leadership is now to supply the larger and smaller posts in the midst of the ongoing fighting. Whether and how Israel denies the blue helmets logistical traffic is being closely monitored.
According to the UN, the Israeli military stopped an important “Unifil logistics movement” near the Lebanese border town of Mais al-Jabal at the weekend. The delivery could therefore not be completed. Supplying the bunkered blue helmets is a race against time, in which Unifil could ultimately be forced to withdraw from the area without a loud bang.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
