Lebanon has announced plans to lodge an urgent complaint with the United Nations Security Council, accusing Israel of erecting concrete walls inside Lebanese territory — a claim Israel firmly denies.
The move follows findings by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which reported that the Israeli military had built structures in south Lebanon near the UN-demarcated Blue Line, the de facto border between both countries.
According to a statement released Saturday by President Joseph Aoun’s office, the Lebanese leader has directed officials “to file an urgent complaint to the United Nations Security Council against Israel for constructing a concrete wall on Lebanon’s southern border exceeding the Blue Line.”
Aoun also requested that the complaint be supported with UN reports that “refute the Israeli denial of the wall’s construction.”
When contacted by AFP over the allegation, the Israeli military insisted that “the wall does not cross the Blue Line.”
UNIFIL said its peacekeepers inspected the site last month and discovered that a concrete T-wall built southwest of Yaroun did cross the Blue Line, cutting off more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese land from public access.
Further surveys this month revealed similar findings.
A UNIFIL statement noted that “a section of wall southeast of Yaroun also crossed the Blue Line,” describing the construction as a violation of Lebanese sovereignty. The mission said it informed the Israeli military in October and requested that the wall be removed.
Israel, however, maintains that the structure is part of a broader defensive strategy.
The Israeli military stated that the wall is tied to a long-term border plan “whose construction began in 2022.”
It added: “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.”
Although a ceasefire in November last year sought to halt more than 12 months of cross-border hostilities — including a two-month all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah — tensions remain high.
Under the truce agreement, Israel was to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon. However, it has maintained its military presence in five “strategic areas” and continued carrying out strikes it says target Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure.
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