Lebanon to complain to UN over Israel wall-building in south

Lebanon's government is set to complain to the UN over allegations that Israel is building a wall in occupied territory in the south.

On Friday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) said the Israeli army had built walls in south Lebanon near the UN-demarcated Blue Line.

Israel has denied the allegations, but on Sunday, President Joseph Aoun's office said he had instructed officials "to file an urgent complaint to the United Nations Security Council against Israel for constructing a concrete wall on Lebanon's southern border exceeding the Blue Line".

Unifil said last month that its peacekeepers had surveyed a concrete T-wall erected by the Israeli army southwest of Yaroun and found that it "crossed the Blue Line, rendering more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people".

An Israeli military spokesperson told AFP that since the start of the war in Gaza, the Israeli army "has implemented a series of measures, including strengthening the physical barrier along the northern border".

"The wall does not cross the Blue Line," he asserted, stating that its construction began in 2022.

Nearly a year on from the ceasefire that ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli forces have continued near-daily bombardments across the south and the occupation of at least five areas.

More than 300 people, including over 100 civilians, have been killed in Israeli strikes since 27 November 2024.