Since the resumption of clashes on the Lebanese-Israeli border almost four months ago, the UN peacekeeping force has been operating in a tense context. Exceptionally, the military agreed to open their doors to franceinfo.
You have to make your way between mesh pylons, then climb the rungs of a ladder to see it. The Israeli border looms straight ahead, two kilometers as the crow flies. From his watchtower, the soldier of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) observe the horizon in silence. West ? Nothing to report. To the East ? No more. “It’s raining, it’s windy… Not a time to send shells and take out drones,” the soldier blurted out before coming down from his position.
Almost noon, Saturday January 13. HAS the base of Naqourain the extreme southwest of Lebanon, we confirm: “very calm day”. The command room has not yet recorded “only 42 incidents”. DIn this ultra-secure room, where photos are prohibited, every movement, every strike, every shot by the Israeli army and Hezbollah along the “blue line” which marks the separation between the two countries is recorded in real time.
A TV broadcasts live images from Gaza, but none of the men in fatigues really pay attention. With a headset on their heads, they give and receive orders and liaise with the teams on the ground. “When things go wrong somewhere, this is where we manage it”summarizes the soldier, whose metallic noise from the rangers disturbs the calm of the place.
:quality(50)/2024/01/17/img-6455-65a807af7685d546838888.jpg)
Deployed since the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in 1978, UNIFIL aims to primary mission of ensuring the application of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. Currently, 10,000 peacekeepers park in the area for “vscontrol the cessation of hostilities” And “ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations”, as the text specifies. The French contingent, made up of 700 men, is one of the largest.
But Dince the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, then the resumption of clashes on the border, the UN peacekeeping force acts in a context “wrought up”comment the soldiers on site. In mid-January, clashes in southern Lebanon had already left 147 dead and 650 injured, according to figures obtained by franceinfo from the country’s Ministry of Health. On the other side of the border, the Israeli army counted at least 15 nationals killed, including nine soldiers. “The intensity of clashes between the two sides is continuously increasing”recognizes the deputy spokesperson for UNIFIL, Candice Ardell. “There are hours of the day, and sometimes even days, when peacekeepers cannot leave their base“.
Over the weeks, theExternal visits have been reduced, and ministers or diplomats from the 47 countries involved in UNIFIL travel to the base canceled or rescheduled. “Too dangerous”.
Soldiers targeted by stone throwing
In one of the parking lots, five white armored Jeeps are preparing to drive on the bumpy roads of South Lebanon to carry out new deterrent patrols. The soldiers wear bulletproof vests and carry HK 416 rifles. Their mission during the two or four hour round: “track” zones of action of Hezbollah fighters, get closer to them, but do not intervene. “We have a deterrent role. By showing us, the objective is that they [les membres du Hezbollah] are giving up shooting, and on the other hand, Israel is also giving up. We’re here to calm things down, in a way.” describes to franceinfo another UNIFIL soldier, who is on his fifth mission in Lebanon. “Eventually, we know their habits. Typically they shoot between 10 and 11 o’clock, pthen they gain strengthre 11 and 2 p.m., and this continues until nightfall.”
But the area to be covered is immense, “Also larger than the department of Saône-et-Loire”, compare the rank. On average, 120 km long by 20 km wide. The fire is constant there. “It’s shooting everywhere. Since the beginning of October, at least 16,000 shells have fallen in the South.” Suddenly he falls silent. A noise sounded in the distance. “It’s okay, it’s a storm.”
:quality(50)/2024/01/17/img-6476-65a807551f9e1507528436.jpg)
In the eyes of UNIFIL soldiers, a mission is successful when it has prevented even one shot. This makes it possible to avoid replies from the other side, and therefore possible victims. “Sometimes, during patrols, we find Hebzollah weapons, rockets, cannons. But in fact, it is little compared to all the arsenal that the group has.”
“We do everything to ensure peace, so that things don’t degenerate. I’m not saying that what we do is decisive. On the other hand, I know that if we didn’t do it, it would be much worse.”
A UNIFIL soldierat franceinfo
During patrols in the villages of South Lebanon, it is not always easy to count on the support of the inhabitants. “Some people inform Hezbollah that we are not far away. And when we arrive, everyone hides…”, points out the officer, well aware that he and his comrades are not always welcome. They sometimes have “right to incivility, to throwing stones, to residents blocking the way. We put so much into their heads that we were spying for the Israelis that they think that we are giving them the coordinates of what we see. Which is obviously false.”
A shell fell into the UNIFIL base
Over the past three months, other incidents, much more serious, have directly affected UNIFIL. Mid-October, a shell crashed by mistake within the confines of the Naqoura site. The strike caused no injuries, but left a gaping hole at least one meter in diameter, which franceinfo was able to observe. “We did not target UNIFIL”, the Israeli army immediately defended itself. Too late, “this thing left its mark on everyone here”sighs a soldier, tall and leansky blue beret screwed on the head.
A siren is heard in the base at each alert. When the bell rings which corresponds to a level 3 alarm, everyone must run and take shelter in the nearest bunker. “It happened again last week.”testifies a soldier. “Sometimes it falls 300 meters from ussighs another. And in this case, it shakes the windows.” In early January, the complex was awakened around 9:30 p.m. Two Israeli missiles fell on the border town of Naqoura. Results: four dead, all Hezbollah fighters, including the local leader of the Lebanese Islamist movement.
Damage in Naqoura
Houses blown up after an Israeli raid on Naqoura, southern Lebanon, on the night of January 3 to 4, 2024. – (RAPHAEL GODET / FRANCEINFO)
Their photos, like those of others “martyrs” of Hezbollah, were soon posted in four by three at the entrance to the villages of South Lebanon. On the basis of UNIFIL, too, every speech by the leader of the Shiite militia is followed carefully. The soldiers follow Al Jazeera and turn up the volume to listen to Hassan Nasrallah. The takeaway statements are then incorporated into the evening briefing.
Today, there is a fear in everyone’s minds: “the slippage of one camp or another”. “If that happens, then there…”, breath che soldier who cannot be optimistic for the months to come. A few days ago, on the phone, the daughter of another UNIFIL soldier asked her father what he was doing “as a job” in Liban. “I told him: ‘Dad is here to avoid war.’”