UN: Israeli barriers cross into Lebanese territory

The Israeli military has installed T-shaped concrete barriers in southern Lebanon that encroach on Lebanese territory, according to the United Nations.

A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) survey in October found that a concrete wall built by Israeli forces had crossed the Blue Line — the UN-demarcated frontier between Lebanon and Israel — south-west of the Lebanese town of Yaroun, the UN peacekeeping mission reported on Friday.

On Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rejected the claim, stating that the wall, whose construction began in 2022, does not cross the Blue Line.

The incursion has made more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese land inaccessible to local residents, UNIFIL said, adding that the Israeli army has been instructed to relocate the wall.

In November, UN peacekeepers detected additional "construction activity" involving T-shaped barriers in the same area.

A follow-up survey again confirmed that part of the new structure crossed the Blue Line, and UNIFIL has notified the Israeli military of the violation.

Israel's army said it was reinforcing the barrier along the border with Lebanon.

T-shaped barriers are heavy, free-standing concrete blocks commonly used by military forces as visual screens or to restrict the movement of vehicles and people.

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon has held for nearly a year, but both sides continue to trade accusations of breaches.

Israel claims Hezbollah is reorganizing in the country's south, while the Israeli Air Force carries out near-daily strikes inside Lebanon.