Lebanon will submit a formal complaint to the UN Security Council over Israel’s construction of a concrete barrier along the southern border that Beirut says extends beyond the internationally recognised Blue Line, the Lebanese presidency announced on Saturday.
The Blue Line, mapped by the United Nations in 2000, demarcates the boundary between Lebanon, Israel, and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights following Israel’s withdrawal from south Lebanon.
A spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said on Friday that the construction has rendered more than 4,000 square meters of Lebanese territory—nearly an acre—inaccessible to residents.
UN asked Israel to stop violating Lebanon’s territorial integrity
In its statement, Lebanon echoed that assessment, calling the project a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and “an infringement on Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Dujarric added that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has asked Israel to remove the portion of the wall encroaching on Lebanese land.
Israel, however, rejected the allegation. An Israeli military spokesperson said the barrier “does not cross the Blue Line”, describing it as part of a broader Israeli military fortification plan that began in 2022.
“Since the start of the war, and as part of lessons learned from it, the IDF has been advancing measures to reinforce the northern border,” the spokesperson said.
UNIFIL, established in 1978, patrols the area between the Litani River and the Blue Line and includes more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries, along with 800 civilian staff, according to the mission.
