Lebanese army denies halting coordination with UN peacekeepers

BEIRUT

The Lebanese army on Monday denied halting coordination with the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL as tension continues to spike along the border between Lebanon and Israel.

In a statement, the army said its units “continue to carry out joint missions with UNIFIL and maintain close cooperation and coordination with them.”

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen television channel said Saturday that a UNIFIL patrol had entered private property in the border village of Kfar Hamam, leading to the withdrawal of the accompanying Lebanese military vehicle.

The broadcaster said that the army suspended joint patrols with the UNIFIL over the incident.

The army said its coordination with UNIFIL is conducted under the provisions of Resolution 1701, which was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on August 11, 2006, to bring about a full cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.

Fears have grown about a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah amid a months-long exchange of cross-border fire, especially with Hezbollah threatening military retaliation after the assassination of its top commander, Fouad Shukr, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on July 30.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of an Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 40,000 people since last October following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio