Lebanon condemns gunfire targeting UNIFIL patrols, reiterates ban on Hezbollah activities

Lebanon condemned on Monday a gunfire that targeted UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon during three separate incidents while they were conducting routine patrols near their bases, the Foreign Ministry said.

The shooting targeted the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), near the towns of Yater, Deir Kifa, and Qlaileh on Sunday, the ministry noted.

The ministry described the incident as a serious and unacceptable attack on peacekeepers that violates international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

Under its mandate and Security Council Resolution 1701 adopted in 2006, UNIFIL has the right to take the necessary measures to defend itself and resist any attempt to prevent it by force from carrying out its mission, the ministry added.

Lebanon also expressed full and steadfast solidarity with UNIFIL, its leadership, and the countries contributing troops to the force. The ministry said Lebanon highly values the essential role the peacekeepers play in supporting peace, security, and stability in southern Lebanon.

The ministry also cited a Cabinet decision issued on March 2, banning the Lebanese group Hezbollah's military and security activities and declaring them illegal, while obligating the group to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese state.

The government's decision on the matter is clear and unambiguous, the ministry said, adding that no armed group outside state authority will be allowed to plunge Lebanon into chaos in service of what it described as suspicious agendas.

The Lebanese state remains firmly committed to asserting its sovereignty over all its territory and restricting weapons to legitimate state institutions to protect the country, safeguard its security, and serve the interests of its people, the ministry added.

Regional escalation has raged since Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting "US military assets."

On March 2, the Iranian-allied Hezbollah group began attacking Israeli military sites in response to repeated Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the killing of Khamenei in the US-Israeli strikes.