UN Peacekeepers Ordered to Shelter as Israel Allegedly Conducts Chemical Aerial Strike
UN peacekeepers say Israel warned of chemical aerial operation near Lebanon border, forcing cancellation of patrols along third of Blue Line. IDF declines comment.
United Nations peacekeepers said Monday they were forced to cancel a dozen activities near the Israel-Lebanon border after the Israeli military warned of an aerial operation involving chemical materials.
UNIFIL, the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, said the Israel Defense Forces notified them Sunday of plans to conduct an aerial operation that would involve deploying chemical material described as non-toxic over areas near the Blue Line, the U.N.-demarcated boundary between the two countries.
The peacekeepers said they were instructed to stay away from the area and remain under cover during the operation.
"We were forced to cancel a dozen activities," UNIFIL said in a statement. "We could not conduct routine operations near the Blue Line along approximately one-third of its length."
Following the operation, UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces collected samples of the material for toxicity testing, according to the statement.
The IDF declined to comment on the incident.
The episode marks the latest tension between Israeli forces and UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL has maintained a presence along the border since 1978, with its mandate expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Blue Line stretches approximately 120 kilometers along the Israel-Lebanon border.