Tensions Escalate Between UNIFIL Forces and Residents in Southern Lebanon
Clashes erupt in Tyre district towns as locals confront UN peacekeepers; fears grow over potential Israeli exploitation to alter or end UNIFIL’s mission.
Watan-Incidents between UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) and local residents continue to occur in southern Lebanon, particularly in areas where villagers object to UN patrols entering their neighborhoods.
On the latest occasion, tensions escalated in the town of Deir Qanoun En Nahr in the Tyre district, where a confrontation between UNIFIL troops and local youth turned physical. A young man reportedly slapped a member of the peacekeeping force, protesting the unit’s entry into a residential area without coordination.
In a separate incident in the town of Bedyas, an argument broke out between a civilian and a UNIFIL patrol. The citizen demanded that the patrol leave and called for the Lebanese Army to intervene, but the peacekeepers did not respond to the request.
Geopolitical Implications and Local Fears
The repeated altercations have raised concerns that Israel might exploit these incidents to either:
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Push for UNIFIL’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, or
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Seek an expanded military mandate for the peacekeeping force under Chapter VII of the UN Charter—effectively turning it into a combat force.
Such changes are opposed by both the Lebanese government and many troop-contributing countries, which do not support an escalation of UNIFIL’s role.
صفعة على وجه اليونيفيل في الجنوب
دخلت قوة من اليونيفيل إلى إحدى الأراضي في بلدة بدياس، فقام بعض الأهالي بإعتراض طريقها، وحصل تلاسن فيما بينهم فغادرت الدورية بعدها المكان.
وتوجهت دورية أخرى من اليونيفيل وقطعت طريق الحلوسية – دير قانون، فتوجّه عدد من شبان المنطقة الى المكان… pic.twitter.com/f6xBzYv1YZ— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) June 10, 2025
U.S. Denial and Speculation
While a U.S. State Department spokesperson has denied reports of a U.S.-Israeli agreement to terminate UNIFIL’s mission, some observers do not rule out the possibility that these leaks are intentional and signal serious developments.
Analysts warn that such a move could undermine UN Resolution 1701, which mandates the presence of UNIFIL as a neutral international partner supporting the Lebanese Army in extending state authority south of the Litani River.
