Information AboutUnifil |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON | |
| history of lebanon | |
| israel-lebanon conflict | |
| peacekeeping missions and operations involving the united nations | |
The first UNIFIL troops arrived in the area on March 23 , 1978 ; these troops were reassigned from other UN Peacekeeping operations in the area (namely the United Nations Emergency Force and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force Zone ). During the occupation, UNIFIL's function was mainly to provide humanitarian aid. Beginning in 1985, Israel scaled back its permanent positions in Lebanon, although this process was punctuated by brief invasions and bombings, as in Operation Accountability in 1993 and Operation Grapes Of Wrath in 1996. In 1999, Israel undertook a full withdrawal, which concluded in 2000 and enabled UNIFIL to resume its military tasks. The Lebanese government claims that the Shebaa Farms area is Lebanese territory, although the UN Considers It To Be Outside Lebanon's Border . They contend that this dispute gives continued legal sanction to armed anti-Israeli groups in Lebanon (though the UN has officially certified that Israel has fully withdrawn from all areas it occupied after 1973). The UN Security Council has extended UNIFIL's mandate until August 31 , 2008 .http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=23593&Cr=lebanon&Cr1= MANDATE UNIFIL is tasked with achieving the following objectives:
Mandating resolutions by the United Nations : CURRENT OPERATION UNIFIL is currently primarily deployed along the - 08-13 On August 27 , 2006 United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that UNIFIL would not intercept arms shipments from Syria , unless requested to do so by the Government Of Lebanon . After the 2006 conflict the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force (MTF) was established to end the Israeli sea blockade of Lebanese ports. This force was initially led by the Italian Navy . In October 2006 the German Navy assumed the lead of the MTF and is since contributing the major part of the force. The MTG consists of about five Frigate s and ten smaller Patrol Vessel s. It is cooperating with the Lebanese Navy.UN press release 16 Oct 2006: http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/pr065.pdf Retrieved on 30 June 2007 Troop status As of - 11-3 Its annual budget is about US$ 100 million. UNIFIL is currently led by Italian Major-General Claudio Graziano . To date UNIFIL has suffered 258 fatalities: 249 military personnel, 2 military observers, 3 international civilian staff, and 4 local staff. Debate over UNIFIL presence and neutrality UNIFIL has fallen out of favour with both Israel and Hezbollah . Israel has criticized the force for, among other things, maintaining a dialogue with Hezbollah, which it views as a terrorist organisation, for treating Israeli and Hezbollah ceasefire breaches equally, while Israel views its overflights as less severe than Hezbollah shellings. UNIFIL was accused of complicity in the fatal Abduction Of IDF Soldiers In October 2000 , and Israel further blamed it for obstructing its investigation by denying the existence of and then refusing to supply videos for several months afterwards.CNN, 3 August 2001 U.N. report: Kidnapped Israeli soldiers may be dead Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (for the period from 21 July 2004 to 20 January 2005) Document S/2005/36 Prior to the - 10-28 UNIFIL also came under criticism during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict for broadcasting detailed reports of Israeli troop movements on their website which "could have exposed Israeli soldiers to grave danger", while making no such reports about Hezbollah.2 Hezbollah supporters have accused UNIFIL of siding with Israel, especially since the passage of Resolution 1701 which they view as one-sided. On October 16 , 2006 Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah declared that the UN force had “come to protect Israel, not Lebanon”. The participation of Turkish troops in the reinforced UNIFIL in 2006 has also been controversial in Lebanon, where the Armenia n community has vigorously protested against it. Conflict in 2006 See Also: Attacks on United Nations personnel during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict According to UNIFIL press releases, there have been dozens of such incidents of UN posts coming under fire during the 2206 Casualties from Israeli fire
Reinforcements Following the cease-fire, the UNIFIL will receive vast reinforcement, up to 15 000 men, and heavy equipment. will send between 200 and 300 troops. {Link without Title} A naval component of UNIFIL is being set up to assist the Lebanese Navy preventing arms proliferation to Hezbollah. This force is under the command of a German admiral with the majority of vessels being provided by the German Navy . Indonesian contingent has received 12 VAB (Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé) on February 17 2007, as the part of the second wave of shipment from the agreement between the French and Indonesia n governments. Amongst the equipments sent with the second wave of VABs are 10 tool boxes (pioneering equipment), 10 armored vehicle radio communications unit, HMG (Heavy Machine Gun) shooter shield, and 40 water Jerrycan s. {Link without Title} Incidents involving Israeli planes On the 3 October 2006 , an Israeli fighter penetrated the 2-nautical mile defence perimeter of the French frigate '' Courbet '', triggering a diplomatic incident. Israel apologised after official protests from the French government [http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/article_1214938.php/No_aggression_intended_Israel_says_after_German_ship_incident . On 24 October , six Israeli F-16 's flew over a German vessel patrolling off Israel's coast just south of the Lebanese border. The German Defence Ministry said that the planes had given off infrared decoys and one of the aircraft had fired two shots into the air, which had not been specifically aimed. The Israeli military said that a German helicopter took off from the vessel without having coordinated this with Israel, and denied vehemently having fired any shots at the vessel and said "as of now" it also had no knowledge of the jets launching flares over it. Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz telephoned his German counterpart Franz Josef Jung to clarify that 'Israel has no intention to carry out any aggressive actions' against the German peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, who are there as part of UNIFIL to enforce an arms embargo against Hezbollah. Germany confirmed the consultations, and that both sides were interested in maintaining good cooperation.345 On jets also flew over a French peacekeeper position in Lebanon. According to the French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie , the planes came in at what was interpreted as an attack formation, and the peacekeepers were "seconds away" from firing at the jets. IDF checking French claim its UN troops almost fired at IAF jets , ''AP'' in ''Haaretz'' Post-Conflict Situation On / Global Jihad members. Al-Qaida suspected in attack that killed 5 UNIFIL troops COUNTRIES INVOLVED The following countries have either committed troops, are currently active in UNIFIL, or have offered support to UNIFIL in some way. Countries in bold were part of the original UNIFIL force.
UNIFIL LEADERSHIP Personal representatives of the Secretary-General for Southern Lebanon Commanders of the force Commanders of the Maritime Task Force QUOTES
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