UN demands halt to escalating attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

UNITED NATIONS — The UN Security Council on Wednesday demanded an end to the growing attacks between Lebanese Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces, warning that further escalation “carries a high risk of leading to widespread conflict.”

The council’s 15 members unanimously approved a resolution calling on “relevant actors” to restore “calm, restraint and stability” along the UN-drawn border between Israel and Lebanon.

The resolution extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, which has been in the country since 1978, for another year.

UNIFIL was established to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after the Israeli invasion in 1978. The UN expanded its mission after the 2006 war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to be deployed along the Israeli border to help the Lebanese army extend its authority into the south of the country for the first time in decades.

Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon regularly accuse the UN mission of collaborating with Israel, while Israel accuses the peacekeeping force of turning a blind eye to Hezbollah’s military activities in southern Lebanon.

During the ongoing fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL facilities or vehicles have been hit by shelling or gunfire on several occasions. Earlier this month, UNIFIL said three peacekeepers on patrol were lightly injured when an explosion occurred near their vehicle.