Hezbollah’s Tunnels Next to UN Peacekeeping Outposts Reveal the UN's Failures

[Social Media]

 

Despite the United Nations' long-standing efforts to maintain peace in southern Lebanon, a recently discovered Hezbollah tunnel near a UN base has raised concerns about the efficacy of these peacekeeping missions. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) revealed that Hezbollah, the militant group active in the region, has built tunnels within just 100 meters of UN peacekeeping forces, suggesting the group is using UN personnel as "human shields." The situation has ignited tensions, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering the immediate withdrawal of UN forces, claiming their proximity to Hezbollah activities compromises their neutrality and safety.

We saw Hezbollah’s tunnels in southern Lebanon today. They took years to build, were used to launch anti-tank missiles at Israeli civilians across the border and they were located some 100 meter from UNIFIL.

It’s impossible that UNIFIL didn’t know about this. pic.twitter.com/OBnBTXxjsn

— Jotam Confino (@mrconfino) October 14, 2024

 

Perched on the hills overlooking the Israeli border, the UN watchtower offers a wide view of southern Lebanon. However, beneath this seemingly peaceful oversight, the IDF claims Hezbollah has constructed an attack tunnel that could easily serve as an infiltration point into Israel. The tunnel’s entrance, concealed by a rusty metal trapdoor, was shown to the media as evidence of Hezbollah’s growing presence near the UN base. According to Israeli officials, the tunnel is just one of two Hezbollah positions located dangerously close to international peacekeeping forces.

 

 

General Yiftach Norkin, who now oversees the area, expressed his surprise that the UN forces did not detect Hezbollah's extensive construction activities. “It’s very odd to us that the UN didn’t see these activities,” he said, emphasizing the heavy equipment and resources needed to dig such tunnels. The discovery of these tunnels raises questions about how effectively the UN forces have been monitoring Hezbollah’s operations, despite being stationed nearby for years to prevent conflict.

 

 

The purpose of the tunnels, according to the IDF, was twofold. One served as an observation post equipped with cameras for gathering intelligence on Israeli villages across the border. The other tunnel was used to fire anti-tank missiles at Israeli targets until IDF troops entered southern Lebanon in response. These tunnels are only a small fraction of the larger Hezbollah infrastructure scattered throughout the region. General Norkin’s division alone has uncovered around 100 such Hezbollah positions within a one-square-kilometer area, underscoring the scale of the militant group’s entrenchment in southern Lebanon.

 

During a visit to the area, Israeli officer Olivier Rafowizc confirmed that the IDF had urged UN peacekeepers to evacuate due to the heightened risks of staying in such a volatile region. General Norkin acknowledged the recent injuries sustained by UN personnel in clashes, but highlighted the difficulties of operating in areas where Hezbollah militants use UN bases as shields. “When a tank or another IDF force sees Hezbollah is about to act against us, we fire back,” Norkin said, stressing the complexities of engaging an enemy operating so close to international forces.

 

 

Hezbollah’s operations in southern Lebanon are reportedly aimed at an ultimate goal of "conquering" the Galilee region in northern Israel. Over the past few days, the IDF has reported a spike in Hezbollah attacks near UN positions, with missiles launched just meters away from peacekeeping posts. Nadav Shoshani, a spokesman for the IDF, detailed how Hezbollah has deliberately positioned its weapons in close proximity to UN bases, putting both UN personnel and civilians at risk.

In one recent incident, 25 soldiers were injured in a planned Hezbollah attack near a UN base. The IDF later released footage showing thousands of weapons and missiles hidden inside civilian homes, further complicating the situation.

 

According to General Norkin, Hezbollah’s arsenal, which includes long-range missiles and other sophisticated weapons, has been smuggled into Lebanon from countries like North Korea, Russia, and Iran. Iran, in particular, has been supplying Hezbollah with weapons through Syria since the 2006 war with Israel.

 

The discovery of these tunnels and Hezbollah’s proximity to UN peacekeepers cast doubt on the effectiveness of the UN’s mission in southern Lebanon. While the UN’s mandate is to maintain peace and stability, Hezbollah’s growing infrastructure and the threat of escalating conflict suggest that peace in the region may be more fragile than it appears. As tensions rise, the role of UN peacekeepers is coming under increasing scrutiny, with calls for better monitoring and stronger action to prevent militant groups from exploiting their presence.

 

Based on a report from The Daily Telegraph 2024-10-16

 

 

 

[loong]

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

Despite the United Nations' long-standing efforts to maintain peace in southern Lebanon,

 

What long standing efforts???

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 which was supposed to be implemented in 2006 and cleared Hezbollah from south of the litani river (approx 30 km from Lebanon's border with Israel) has been totally ineffective despite costing around half-billion USD per year!
 

UN has long outlasted its usefulness and should be disbanded.

[Presnock]

51 minutes ago, loong said:

 

What long standing efforts???

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 which was supposed to be implemented in 2006 and cleared Hezbollah from south of the litani river (approx 30 km from Lebanon's border with Israel) has been totally ineffective despite costing around half-billion USD per year!
 

UN has long outlasted its usefulness and should be disbanded.

totally agree with this assessment of the UN - especially the security council with rogue states having way too much power to counter any resolutions needed to have actual peace in this world.  Too many countries still want to be in control of other countries with more resources and that will continue forever IMHO.  The UN is just a drain on any country's money!

 

51 minutes ago, loong said:

 

What long standing efforts???

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 which was supposed to be implemented in 2006 and cleared Hezbollah from south of the litani river (approx 30 km from Lebanon's border with Israel) has been totally ineffective despite costing around half-billion USD per year!
 

UN has long outlasted its usefulness and should be disbanded.

 

[Patong2021]

This is the first western news media report that has provided a detailed report of this nature. It brings perspective to the claim of shelling of UNIFIL positions. Anything targeting these Hezbollah attack points would be in close proximity to the UNIFIL positions and could be described as a shelling of their position.  It has been a propaganda victory for Hezbollah.

 

It is quite obvious that  the UNIFIL positions on the Israeli border, often manned by Indonesian, Malaysian, Sri Lankan  personnel with some Spanish personnel, have been ineffective. To not see the Hezbollah militants building the access points and operating out of the area would speak to the  tacit facilitation of Hezbollah by some members of UNIFIL. The simple question is why UNIFIL allowed this to occur and at the very least why it did not speak out against the Hezbollah violation of the truce agreement.

 

It seems that  the UN refuses to acknowledge its role in supporting Hezbollah. And it suggests that the UN will not withdraw because to do so would allow Israel to more directly destroy the attack tunnels, which I expect run through and under many of the UN outposts.

 

Why none of the western nations paying for this farce act responsibly and question the role of UNIFIL in  helping Hezbollah is the lurking question.

 

[jippytum]

Terrorists build tunnels in sensitive 'safe' locations. 

This makes removal by bombing without civilian casualties difficult. 

Love or hate the Isralies you have to give them credit for the detection and removal of so many Hammas locations. 

 

[john donson]

propaganda... israel wants to start ww3 with support of USA

 

they tried with poking the bear in ukraine

 

now a little war with iran... supported by china and russia that does not care about US embargo's

[klauskunkel]

Looks like the UN is still formulating a statement regarding this article.

Take your time and spend some money on the response...

[Presnock]

17 minutes ago, john donson said:

propaganda... israel wants to start ww3 with support of USA

 

they tried with poking the bear in ukraine

 

now a little war with iran... supported by china and russia that does not care about US embargo's

And today a report on North Korean military in Ukraine too...Just yesterday a report on the destruction by N. Korea on the rail and road links to S. korea....shooting at propaganda drones too.

[harryviking]

Lol! The UN is a joke and should be abolished or maybe "re-invented"! 

[Bkk Brian]

3 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

This is the first western news media report that has provided a detailed report of this nature. It brings perspective to the claim of shelling of UNIFIL positions. Anything targeting these Hezbollah attack points would be in close proximity to the UNIFIL positions and could be described as a shelling of their position.  It has been a propaganda victory for Hezbollah.

 

It is quite obvious that  the UNIFIL positions on the Israeli border, often manned by Indonesian, Malaysian, Sri Lankan  personnel with some Spanish personnel, have been ineffective. To not see the Hezbollah militants building the access points and operating out of the area would speak to the  tacit facilitation of Hezbollah by some members of UNIFIL. The simple question is why UNIFIL allowed this to occur and at the very least why it did not speak out against the Hezbollah violation of the truce agreement.

 

It seems that  the UN refuses to acknowledge its role in supporting Hezbollah. And it suggests that the UN will not withdraw because to do so would allow Israel to more directly destroy the attack tunnels, which I expect run through and under many of the UN outposts.

 

Why none of the western nations paying for this farce act responsibly and question the role of UNIFIL in  helping Hezbollah is the lurking question.

 

This is the first western news media report that has provided a detailed report of this nature.

 

Another one just dropped. 

 

 

More than 700 caches of weapons in the same area have been found. Including  new weaponry that has also arrived from Russia and North Korea.

 

UN peacekeeping troops failing Israel as Hezbollah creates terror tunnels right under their noses

And as I reported in The Post last year, I have seen footage of these “peacekeepers” coming out of their bases, Hezbollah firing rockets over their heads into Israel only for the UN peacekeepers to do a U-turn and simply return to base.

Worse is that the UN resolution that ended the 2006 war — Resolution 1701 — was meant to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its stockpile of weapons aimed at Israel.

The ground in Lebanon is rocky — not sandy like Gaza — and these are serious, deep tunnels. But the tunnel shafts opened not much more than 100 meters away from a giant UN peacekeeping base and observation point.

https://nypost.com/2024/10/13/opinion/un-failing-israel-as-hezbollah-creates-terror-tunnels-right-under-their-noses/

 

How can 10,000 UN peacekeepers justify the ground they stand on. 

 

[JonnyF]

The UN is a talking shop. Cushy jobs for the boys. Toothless tiger. Disband it. 

[black tabby12345]

UN Failure?

With or Without Hezbollah, it is already  in the state of Brain Death.

Bandits & Pirates in the middle of their Security Council Members.

Those ones can be spared from  any form of collective sanctions using their veto.

Just like the mass murders in court can dismiss their judges they don't like.

 

[Patong2021]

15 hours ago, john donson said:

propaganda... israel wants to start ww3 with support of USA

they tried with poking the bear in ukraine

now a little war with iran... supported by china and russia that does not care about US embargo's

 

Israel has had no part in the invasion of Ukraine. All that Israel has done is to provide  donations of international aid and accepted refugees from Ukraine. Your hatred for Israel blinds you to the reality which is that Israel has in excess of one  (1) million people who are of Russian heritage and has had close relations with Russia for decades.  Ukraine was never as close to Israel as Russia was. The Ukraine -Russian war provides no benefit to Israel.

[AndreasHG]

On 10/17/2024 at 12:55 AM, Patong2021 said:

Your hatred for Israel blinds you

 

He feels no hate for Israel. @john donson is just one of the handful of Russian trolls active here... ...ignore him and move on.