BEIRUT, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Tensions flared up in southern Lebanon Wednesday morning when a group of residents stopped a patrol by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) during a scheduled mission coordinated with the Lebanese army.
The confrontation escalated after peacekeepers entered a neighborhood in the Yater village of Bint Jbeil district, prompting residents to block their path, according to a report by the state-run National News Agency.
The report claimed that UNIFIL peacekeepers pointed their weapons at the crowd, prompting the Lebanese army to intervene and work to resolve the standoff in coordination with UNIFIL's liaison unit.
However, UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti rejected the claims. "Contrary to some media claims, the peacekeepers did not raise their weapons," he said in a statement.
"A group of men in civilian clothes stopped peacekeepers while they were on a planned patrol, coordinated with the Lebanese army," the statement said. "The situation was calm, and the peacekeepers were able to proceed after about thirty minutes."
Tenenti reiterated that UNIFIL operates in southern Lebanon at the request of the Lebanese government and under a mandate from the UN Security Council, adding that "any interference in peacekeepers' duties is unacceptable and contradicts Lebanon's commitments under UN Security Council Resolution 1701."
The incident highlights ongoing sensitivities surrounding UNIFIL's presence in the region, where tensions between peacekeepers and local communities occasionally surface despite coordination efforts with Lebanese authorities. ■
