ISTANBUL

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has instructed the Foreign Ministry to file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council over Israel’s construction of a concrete wall in southern Lebanon that extends beyond the UN-demarcated Blue Line.

Aoun asked Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi to task Lebanon’s permanent mission to the UN with submitting the complaint, saying the Israeli barrier violates Lebanon’s sovereignty and UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the presidency said in a statement.

Resolution 1701, adopted on Aug. 11, 2006, calls for a cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line and Lebanon’s Litani River.

Aoun also ordered that the complaint include UN reports that refute Israel’s denial of building the wall and confirm that the structure has prevented residents in the south from accessing more than 4,000 square meters of Lebanese land.

The presidency said the reports show that the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) has formally notified Israel that the wall must be removed.

Lebanon says Israel’s construction and continued presence beyond the Blue Line, the de-facto border, constitute a breach of its territory and of the internationally recognized boundary established after Israel’s 2000 withdrawal.

The presidency said Israel’s ongoing construction activity in the area, along with its military presence, represents a “clear violation” of Resolution 1701 and an infringement on Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On Friday, UNIFIL said that Israel erected two walls southwest of Yaroun town, rendering more than 4,000 square meters of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people.

Tensions have been mounting in southern Lebanon for weeks, with the Israeli army intensifying near-daily air raids inside Lebanese territory, allegedly targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure.

The Israeli army has killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 in its attacks on Lebanon, which began in October 2023 and turned into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.

Under a ceasefire declared in November 2024, the Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon this January, but instead only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.