UNIFIL details Israeli army’s ‘aggressive posture’ in southern Lebanon
The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon – known as UNIFIL – has detailed an attack yesterday that hit the perimeter of its position south of the village of Kfar Shouba, in the country’s Nabatieh governorate.
“In yesterday’s incident, peacekeepers observed two shots fired from south of the Blue Line with one of them hitting the UNIFIL base,” UNIFIL said in a statement, referring to the 120km (75-mile) “border” line created by the UN between Israel and Lebanon.
“This marks the first time a UNIFIL position has been directly hit” since a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah in late November, it said.
“In this period, UNIFIL has observed at least four other incidents involving [Israeli military] fire near its positions along the Blue Line,” UNIFIL added.
According to the agency’s statement, those incidents include:
- UNIFIL peacekeepers performing a patrol with the Lebanese army near Maroun al-Ra, in the Bint Jebeil area, reported being targeted by a laser from a nearby Israeli army position.
- Laser beams were pointed towards a UNIFIL patrol from two Israeli Merkava tanks south of Alma ash-Shaab on May 7.
- “As the patrol began to move, a drone flew approximately five metres [16 feet] above it, following the patrol for about a kilometre [0.6 miles],” UNIFIL said.
- Separately, also on May 7, an aerial vehicle repeatedly flew over a UNIFIL position east of Houla, another village in southern Lebanon.
UNIFIL is concerned by the recent aggressive posture of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) involving UNIFIL personnel and assets near the Blue Line, including yesterday’s incident in which a direct fire hit the perimeter of a UNIFIL position south of the village of Kfar Shouba.
— UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) May 14, 2025
Syria’s president welcomes ‘brave’ Trump decision to lift sanctions
Al-Sharaa has delivered remarks following his meeting with the US president in Saudi Arabia today.
Al-Sharaa lauded Trump for a “brave decision” to lift US sanctions on Syria, a move that he said will allow Syria’s people “to have a better future” while also creating stability in the wider region.
“The road [ahead] is still long,” the Syrian president said, adding that Syria will welcome all investments to help build “prosperity”.
Reporting from the Syrian capital, Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said al-Sharaa’s speech aimed to signal that “Syria’s promising future has begun now.”
“This is a new chapter for Syria, and that’s what he was really focusing on,” Khan reported.
