UNIFIL’s Border Presence Sparks Fierce IDF Pushback
UN personnel have recently been spotted operating uncomfortably close to active IDF zones, quietly filming and cataloging the landscape, an activity that senior commanders say has triggered intense concern within the army. According to Galai Tzahal’s reporting, officials fear that these recordings could slip into the hands of Hezbollah, giving the terror group fresh intelligence at a moment of high regional tension.
For years, distrust of UNIFIL has simmered beneath the surface, but the strain has sharpened significantly as Lebanon faces growing internal and international pressure to rein in Hezbollah. Israeli defense officials believe that UNIFIL’s behavior on the ground is increasingly unhelpful — and potentially dangerous.
Adding fuel to the fire, reporter Doron Kadosh disclosed this morning that the IDF recently intercepted a UNIFIL coordination document that described Israel as the “Israeli enemy.” The discovery prompted an immediate protest from the military. UNIFIL later issued an apology and insisted the phrasing resulted from copying Lebanese army terminology “without correction,” a claim the IDF found deeply troubling.
In a blunt assessment, a high-ranking IDF officer told the press, “There is nothing good about UNIFIL – they mostly get in the way. They contribute nothing, certainly not to the disarmament of Hezbollah. They hinder the IDF’s freedom of action – and we are very concerned that footage of our forces along the border is leaking to Hezbollah. The sooner they move out of the area and end their activity, the better.”
{Matzav.com}
