The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon "UNIFIL" announced that it held an "extraordinary" tripartite meeting with senior officers in the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israeli army (IDF).
The UNIFIL confirmed in a statement on Friday that the meeting was held yesterday, Thursday, at the United Nations site in Ras Naqoura, headed by the commander of the UN mission, Major General Stefano Del Col.
The statement explained that Del Col, during the meeting, touched on "the serious violations of the cessation of hostilities" between the two parties on the fourth, fifth, and sixth of last August.
Del Col warned that this "unprecedented level of escalation has serious repercussions on the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, and therefore it is important that what had happened must be considered as an isolated event and did not represent a new trend along the Blue Line."
The discussions, during the meeting, focused on the situation along the Blue Line, air and land violations, and other issues within the mandate of the "UNIFIL".
The commander of the international force stressed that there is a need to move forward with resolving the outstanding issues at the Blue Line, as clearly stated in UN Security Council Resolution 2591.
In an operational note, he urged the Lebanese and Israeli military to find solutions to seasonal issues along the Blue Line, which can be resolved through local arrangements with the help of the liaison and coordination mechanism undertaken by "UNIFIL".
The statement quoted Del Col as saying: "the UN Security Council has welcomed the progress you have made in the demarcation of the Blue Line, and the continuation of this process aimed at addressing and completing all outstanding points sends a clear message about the implementation of the requirements of the mandate."
The meeting came against the backdrop of cross-border shelling last August between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, a Lebanese, Islamist, militant faction.
Follow the latest news on Google News
