DFA condemns attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza (PNA file photo by Jess Escaros)

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday condemned recent attacks on the positions of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) that resulted in injuries to UN peacekeepers.

In a three-paragraph statement released on Friday by Ma. Teresita Daza, spokesperson for the DFA, and posted on its website, the foreign office condemned the attacks earlier announced by Israel on Unifil positions in Lebanon.

“The Philippines strongly condemns any action that endangers the safety and security of UN peacekeepers as they fulfill their mandate in accordance with the charter of the United Nations,” the statement read.

“We urge all UN Member States to uphold their obligations under international law and ensure that peacekeepers are permitted to carry out their critical work. Violations of peacekeeping mandates undermine the rules-based international order and destabilize regions where peace efforts are most needed,” it continued.

“We reaffirm our commitment to multilateral cooperation for the promotion of international peace and security,” the statement concluded.

The statement was released after Israel attacked identified strongholds of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah along the so-called “Blue Line,” which Unifil was mandated to demilitarize under at least five UN Security Council resolutions.

The Philippines has sent more than 100 peacekeepers for Unifil through the years, but no Filipino peacekeepers were stationed in Lebanon at the time of the attacks.

Since last week, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complained that Unifil failed in its mandate to demilitarize southern Lebanon and even allowed the terrorist group Hezbollah to build tunnels from Unifil positions, which were used for missiles attacks on Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF)have released videos showing that the tunnels contained weapons, rockets, missiles and barracks that were used to attack Israel. The United Nations has not replied to the complaints.

Earlier this week, Israel began attacks on key positions in Lebanon, notably in Ras Naqoura and Labbouneh, where Unifil peacekeepers were hurt as IDF pursued Hezbollah terrorists.

Neither the United Nations nor Unifil has responded to demands for explanations why entrances to combat tunnels, which evidently took months to build, were found at Unifil positions along the Blue Line, the 150-kilometer-long demarcation line of the demilitarized zone.

The terse DFA statement also did not say whether it questioned Unifil over the Hezbollah tunnels or whether the Philippines supported such acts of terror.