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- Former UNIFIL soldier exposes ineffectiveness against Hezbollah in south Lebanon
Former UNIFIL soldier exposes ineffectiveness against Hezbollah in south Lebanon
He described a situation where the peacekeepers were “totally dependent” on Hezbollah, noting that their freedom of movement was severely restricted
A former Danish soldier who served with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has publicly denounced the peacekeeping mission's inability to counter Hezbollah's activities.
In an interview with the Danish newspaper BT, the soldier, who chose to remain anonymous, provided alarming insights into the operational limitations of UNIFIL during his deployment a decade ago.
Michael revealed that Hezbollah effectively controlled all areas accessible to UN personnel, asserting that “Hezbollah controlled all the areas where the UN personnel could go.”
He described a situation where the peacekeepers were “totally dependent” on Hezbollah, noting that their freedom of movement was severely restricted. “We avoided operating at night for fear of the terrorist group,” he explained.
The former soldier recounted incidents in which UN troops attempted to access areas suspected of housing Hezbollah operations but were often obstructed. “They would just block the road. They were not openly armed, but they were aggressive, and it was pretty clear that they were Hezbollah,” he said.
Michael emphasized the prohibition against documenting Hezbollah's activities, stating, “It was forbidden to film or take pictures. If we did, we risked having our cameras confiscated by the locals.” He further revealed that some interpreters employed by the UN were sympathetic to Hezbollah, recalling an incident where he had to eject an interpreter from his vehicle for praising the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Describing a “complete lack” of capacity to act against violations of UN Resolution 1701—which prohibits the presence of armed groups south of the Litani River—Michael lamented that daily reports of violations were met with inaction. “We reported violations of Resolution 1701 to our superiors on a daily basis, especially restrictions on our freedom of movement. We were told to report all violations, no matter how many. But nothing happened,” he said.