The Blue Line, established by the United Nations, extends for approximately 120 kilometers along Lebanon’s southern border and serves as a “line of withdrawal” to confirm Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
In another incident on the same day, another UNIFIL patrol reported machine gun fire from south of the Blue Line in the vicinity of its position near the village of Kfar Shouba.
“UNIFIL had informed the Israel Defense Forces in advance about activities in those areas, following the usual practice of patrols in sensitive areas near the Blue Line,” Dujarric said.
He noted that in recent days there were also incidents in the Mission’s area of operations that restricted the movement of UNIFIL by local people.
“Any act that could jeopardize the safety of United Nations peacekeepers is completely unacceptable,” Dujarric said.
“We reiterate our call to all actors to cease activities that put the well-being of peacekeepers at risk and interfere with their mandated activities in support of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701,” he added.
The UN spokesperson also reminded the parties of their responsibility to guarantee the safety of peacekeepers.