UNIFIL was ‘Totally Subject to Hezbollah,’ Former UN Soldier Recalls

Hezbollah would reportedly restrict the movement of UN forces, while ‘nothing ever happened’ after the forces would tell their superiors of Hezbollah violations of Resolution 1701.

By United with Israel

UNIFIL was “totally subject to Hezbollah,” a former United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) soldier recalled in a Sunday interview with Dutch news site B.T. of his time serving in Lebanon ten years ago, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The soldier, identified as “Michael,” said he had been tasked with helping enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which prohibits Hezbollah from operating in southern Lebanon.

Nevertheless, he related, “We were totally subject to Hezbollah. We clearly had limited freedom of movement. For example, we never operated after dark for fear of Hezbollah. So they had free time in the evening and night hours.”

UNIFIL and UNTSO workers were also prohibited from entering certain areas of southern Lebanon by Hezbollah, Michael said.

“They simply blocked the road. They were not visibly armed but aggressive, and it was quite clear that they were members of Hezbollah – we knew very well who decided things, especially in the Shiite cities,” he said. “They didn’t want us to see what they were doing.”

When the UN workers noticed suspicious persons taking pictures of the Israeli border, they would merely observe from a distance.

“When we patrolled the Blue Line, we often saw ‘civilians’ very close to the Israeli military installations taking pictures,” he said. ”When that happened, we withdrew and observed from a distance – we were simply instructed to do so.”

Michael also said the ability to report violations to the Security Council was limited because Hezbollah would confiscate his devices if he tried collecting evidence.

According to Michael, some of the UNIFIL and UNTSO workers were even completely indoctrinated by Hezbollah propaganda.

“We had a number of interpreters who were indoctrinated into Hezbollah. I ended up throwing one of them out of my car once while he was praising Hassan Nasrallah. I simply didn’t want to listen to it,” he said.

He added that nothing was done when the UN workers reported Hezbollah violations to their superiors.

“We reported daily violations of resolution 1701 to our superiors, including in particular restrictions on our freedom of movement, and we were instructed to report all violations regardless of number. But nothing ever happened,’ he said. “We did not hear back from them, and nothing was initiated. It was wildly frustrating, and it only confirmed to me what I had experienced in other countries I was posted to: The UN is incompetent.”

He asserted that while UN workers in Lebanon had good intentions, “of course, there were also some who were fervently anti-Israel. I especially remember one of them from Ireland.”

He said that during his service, “We didn’t hear or see any digging or tunnel construction when I was there – I would never hide that.”

“On the other hand, several civilian houses and probably also a ‘chicken farm’ appeared close to the Blue Line while I was there, which, of course, we could not/were not allowed to inspect,” he added.

During recent military operations in Southern Lebanon, the IDF located hundreds of weapons, including firearms, grenades and rocket launchers aimed at Israeli territory. These weapons were stored in compounds located from a few dozen meters up to a few hundred meters from UNIFIL posts situated near the Blue Line.

“UNIFIL in southern Lebanon was deployed to implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and prevent the presence of armed Hezbollah operatives south of the Litani River. However, both the State of Lebanon and the international community have failed to implement Resolution 1701, despite repeated requests to do so,” the IDF said.

“For years, Hezbollah has embedded itself in southern Lebanon in grave violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The organization has stockpiled large quantities of weapons aimed at Israeli civilians over the years and has deliberately built up its attack infrastructure near UNIFIL posts,” the military continued.

Ahead of ground operations in Lebanon, IDF representatives had requested that UNIFIL move its personnel away from posts located within five kilometers of the Blue Line because this area would become an active combat zone. However, the UN has refused to move its forces to safer areas.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the UN’s refusal to withdraw its forces “turns them into hostages of Hezbollah.”

“I want to directly address the U.N. Secretary-General from here: It is time for you to remove UNIFIL from Hezbollah’s strongholds and from the combat areas,” the premier said in a statement.

“The IDF has repeatedly requested this, only to be met with refusal, a refusal aimed solely at providing Hezbollah terrorists with a human shield. Your refusal to evacuate UNIFIL soldiers turns them into hostages of Hezbollah. This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers,” he continued.

“We regret the harm caused to UNIFIL soldiers, and we are doing everything we can to prevent it. But the simplest and most obvious way to ensure their safety is to simply remove them from the danger zone. Mr. Secretary-General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately,” Netanyahu said.

“Unfortunately, some European leaders are applying pressure in the wrong place. Instead of criticizing Israel, they should direct their criticism at Hezbollah, which uses UNIFIL as a human shield, just as Hamas in Gaza uses UNRWA as a human shield. Unfortunately, in Gaza, UNRWA even collaborates with Hamas,” he added.