UNIFIL warns of ‘concerning shift’ in Israel-Hezbollah conflict

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon warned on Tuesday of a “concerning shift” in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, urging all parties to prevent further escalation.

“Over the past days we have seen a concerning shift in the exchanges of fire. This conflict has already claimed too many lives and caused significant damage to houses and public infrastructure,” UNIFIL said in a statement.

“It has jeopardized the livelihoods and changed the life of tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line. Yet we now see an expansion and intensification of strikes,” the peace force added.

UNIFIL’s statement came a day after a significant escalation in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

Israel on Monday struck Hezbollah targets deep inside Lebanon near the eastern city of Baalbek for the first since the Hamas-Israel war started.

Prior to the Israeli strike, Hezbollah had announced it downed an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over Lebanese territory with a surface-to-air missile.

The Gaz war has seen a spillover to Lebanon with the Iran-backed and Hamas ally Hezbollah engaging on almost a daily basis with the Israeli army.

Hezbollah has been waging a campaign of attacks on targets at the border with Israel since the October 7 raid from the Gaza Strip by its Palestine’s Hamas. Hezbollah describes it as an effort to support Palestinians under Israeli fire in Gaza.

The violence has been mainly confined to Lebanon’s southern border, but last week expanded to the Sidon town of Ghazieh, about 50 kilometers from the border with Israel. UNIFIL noted that it has continued its engagement with the different parties to de-escalate the situation “and prevent dangerous misunderstandings, but recent events have the potential to put at risk a political solution to this conflict.”

The peacekeeping mission called on the warring sides to halt hostilities and “leave space to a political and diplomatic solution that can bring back stability and ensure the safety of the people in this region.” -Reuters