​​​​HAMILTON, Canada

The UN's top peacekeeping official on Friday warned that a growing number of incidents involving Israeli forces are putting UN peacekeepers in danger in southern Lebanon, where widespread destruction has left many civilians unable to return home.

In a virtual briefing, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, under-secretary-general for peace operations, said relations between the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and Lebanese authorities remain strong.

"The relations with the Lebanese authorities are excellent. UNIFIL benefits from very strong support from the Lebanese authorities. We're extremely grateful for them," Lacroix said, adding that the mission also benefits from "very good cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces."

While ties with local communities are also positive, Lacroix expressed serious concern over actions by Israeli forces.

"More worrying is the fact that the number of aggressive incidents, or hostile incidents, or at least the incidents that have been really putting our colleagues in danger, coming from the Israel Defense Forces," he said. "The frequency of these incidents has been quite high and has been increasing.”

Lacroix said he raised the issue with Israeli officials during his recent visit to the region, warning that some incidents "could have had very tragic consequences on our peacekeepers."

During his visit to southern Lebanon, Lacroix described "a landscape of devastation," stressing that "the number of villages that are destroyed is extremely high, and civilians have not been able to return."

He said the situation is "extremely negative" for communities and future reconstruction efforts.

UNIFIL was established in 1978 following Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon and saw its mandate significantly expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, under UN Security Resolution 1701, adopted in August 2006, which calls for a halt to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and the creation of a weapons-free zone between the UN-demarcated Blue Line, a de factor border, and the Litani River, except for Lebanese army forces and UNIFIL.

In August, the Security Council decided to end UNIFIL’s mandate on Dec. 31, 2026, followed by a one-year plan for a phased drawdown of forces.

On Syria, Lacroix said that the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) continues to receive strong backing from the Security Council and Syrian authorities.

However, he noted that conditions have changed since Israeli forces entered the area of separation, where only UN forces are permitted.

"There are currently 10 positions from the IDF in that area," he said, adding that residents have complained about the effect of Israeli soldiers' presence.

Lacroix said the UN continues to work toward restoring the situation outlined in the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Syria and Israel.

- Disengagement agreement

Signed on May 31, 1974, the agreement stipulates Israel’s withdrawal from all of the areas of Mount Hermon it occupied during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, as well as an area of about 25 square kilometers (9.6 square miles) that included Quneitra and other locations.

The agreement defines the current border between Israel and Syria along with the accompanying military arrangements, creating two separation lines -- Israeli (blue) and Syrian (red) -- with a buffer zone between them.

UNDOF monitors the agreement, as it is tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria following the 1973 war.

Since 1974, UNDOF has patrolled the buffer zone between the Israeli- and Syrian-controlled zones.

Israel occupied most of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed the territory in a move never recognized by the international community.