UNIFIL patrol comes under fire in southern Lebanon

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA UNIFIL unit patrols near a bridge which citizens from the south of the country are using to cross on April 18, 2026 in Qasmiyeh, Lebanon [File: Adri Salido/Getty Images]By AFPPublished On 10 Nov 202610 Nov 2026A United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol has come under fire in southern Lebanon, the force said.UNIFIL said on Tuesday that “about a dozen rounds” were fired at one of its patrols near Wadi Jilu, in Lebanon’s Tyre district, without specifying the entity behind the shooting.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Lebanon cuts power to public bodies as electricity crisis deepenslist 2 of 3Lebanese pack bags and stock up amid fears of new Israeli escalationlist 3 of 3Israel builds 90km network of military roads across southern Lebanonend of listThe patrol returned fire, after which the shooting stopped. UNIFIL reported no casualties and called for an investigation.“We reiterate the obligation under international law for all actors to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property at all times. Deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and international humanitarian law,” UNIFIL said.Security limboUNIFIL is a peacekeeping mission established by the UN Security Council in March 1978, days after Israel invaded Lebanon.The force has acted as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon ever since, but its presence has been unable to prevent several rounds of conflict, including the latest between Israel and Hezbollah.Israel continues to occupy swaths of southern Lebanon, despite a so-called ceasefire and a US-brokered framework agreement through which the Israeli military would withdraw from those areas and the Lebanese army would move in to disarm Hezbollah.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that the G7 foreign ministers agreed on “the need to avoid a security void” in Lebanon after the UNIFIL mandate expires at the end of 2026.France’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks to the press at the end of the second day of the G7 foreign ministers summit at the Quai d’Orsay in Paris on November 10, 2026 [AFP]The foreign ministers backed “the need to move quickly toward a new security architecture”, Barrot said after the group met in Paris.However, the French foreign minister acknowledged that there had been no breakthrough regarding replacing UNIFIL, which comprises some 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries.The UN Security Council last year voted, under US pressure, to end UNIFIL’s mandate on December 31, 2026. Lebanese officials have called for the mandate to be extended.