UN warns of ‘risk of full-scale’ war on Israel-Lebanon border
The World Organization has warned of a “heightened risk of a full-scale war” along the Lebanon-Israel border where 901 Indian peacekeepers are deployed.
Following the Israeli drone strike that targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Southern Lebanon on Wednesday, the militia retaliated by launching a barrage of 100 rockets into Israel. The well-entrenched Hezbollah, which has the backing of Iran has threatened to continue attacks on Israel in solidarity with Hamas under Israeli assault in Gaza.
The Indian peacekeepers are a part of the 10,000-strong 49-nation UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) charged by the Security Council to work with Lebanese national forces to keep order in the volatile section known as the Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel.
In effect, the mission also acts as a buffer between the two countries at times caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson’s office said, “The UN is deeply concerned at the increase in the intensity of exchanges of fire across the Blue Line yesterday, which heightens the risk of a full-scale war. Escalation can and must be avoided. We reiterate that the danger of miscalculation leading to a sudden and wider conflagration is real.”
The decades-long tensions in the area have intensified since October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, which launched a retribution on Gaza that it controls.
In solidarity with Hamas, Hezbollah said attacks on Israel till there is a ceasefire in Gaza, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
About 60,000 Lebanese have reportedly been displaced, and, according to United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about 20,000 Israelis have also been forced to flee the border areas because of the attacks.
At another peacekeeping mission in the region, the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) charged with maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria, 202 Indian troops were deployed.
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we should call back our troops fm this place as there is no peace to keep. why peace keepers are required. UN is a useless organization only serving a few.