Key points: UNIFIL says Israeli forces built a 'concrete T-wall' southwest and southeast of Yaroun that crosses the UN-drawn Blue Line, making over 4,000 sq m of Lebanese land inaccessible. Israel says the barrier is part of a defensive plan begun in 2022 and denies it crosses the Blue Line. UNIFIL calls the construction a violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701 and urged withdrawal from areas north of the demarcation. The development occurs amid near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon and regional concern over rising tensions.
UNIFIL: Israel Built Concrete Walls Crossing UN 'Blue Line' in Southern Lebanon
Key points: UNIFIL says Israeli forces built a 'concrete T-wall' southwest and southeast of Yaroun that crosses the UN-drawn Blue Line, making over 4,000 sq m of Lebanese land inaccessible. Israel says the barrier is part of a defensive plan begun in 2022 and denies it crosses the Blue Line. UNIFIL calls the construction a violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701 and urged withdrawal from areas north of the demarcation. The development occurs amid near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon and regional concern over rising tensions.
12:29 AM, 11/15/2025Conflict
UN peacekeepers say Israeli barriers cross UN 'Blue Line' near Yaroun
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says the Israeli military has built concrete walls on Lebanese soil that cross the UN-backed, unofficial demarcation known as the Blue Line.
In a statement released on Friday, UNIFIL said Israeli forces erected a 'concrete T-wall' southwest of the town of Yaroun in Lebanon's southern Nabatieh district. The mission added that a further section southeast of Yaroun also extends beyond the Blue Line and has rendered 'more than 4,000 square metres [43,055 sq ft] of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people.'
Established in 2000, the Blue Line is a roughly 120 km (75-mile) UN-drawn, unofficial border intended to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
UNIFIL: 'Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We again call on the [Israeli military] to respect the Blue Line in its full length and withdraw from all areas north of it.'
Israel's response (to AFP): 'The barrier is part of a broader plan whose construction began in 2022. Since the start of the war, and as part of lessons learnt from it, the [Israeli military] has been advancing a series of measures, including reinforcing the physical barrier along the northern border. It should be emphasised that the wall does not cross the Blue Line.'
The UN warning comes amid near-daily Israeli strikes across Lebanon — particularly in the south — despite a ceasefire agreed a year ago with Hezbollah. UNIFIL and other sources say the fighting that began in October 2023 during the Gaza war escalated into a wider offensive in September 2024; the statement cited more than 4,000 killed and nearly 17,000 wounded in Lebanon since the violence began.
UN Security Council resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, called for a cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and for the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line and Lebanon's Litani River. Under last year's ceasefire, the Israeli army was expected to withdraw from southern Lebanon in January but has only partially done so, maintaining positions at five border outposts.
Why it matters: UNIFIL says the new construction infringes Lebanon's sovereignty and risks further destabilising an already volatile border region. The Israeli military maintains the barrier is defensive and part of longer-term border reinforcement.