UN reports extensive Israeli military activity across southern Lebanon

U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon continue to observe extensive Israeli military activity inside the country, including artillery fire, troop deployments and engineering works, a U.N. spokesperson said on Monday (August 31).

Stephane Dujarric told reporters that peacekeepers with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) had recorded significant Israeli military activity across their area of operations, across the Blue Line and at sea.

Dujarric also said UNIFIL reported unguarded ammunition stockpiles in Sector East that may have originated from an Israeli military firing position.

In Sector West, peacekeepers secured unexploded ordnance and handed it over to a disposal team, he said. The United Nations continues to monitor security developments along the Israel-Lebanon border.

The developments are significant because the Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel remains one of the Middle East's most sensitive flashpoints. Continued military activity, the presence of ammunition stockpiles, and unexploded ordnance raise the risk of escalation and pose dangers to civilians and U.N. peacekeepers operating in the area.