The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warned Tuesday that any Israeli invasion of Lebanese territory would be a violation of the country’s sovereignty and UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
“Any crossing into Lebanon is in violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a violation of resolution 1701,” UNIFIL said in a statement.
The Israeli army said earlier on Tuesday it had begun “limited and targeted” ground operations in southern Lebanon.
The UN peacekeeping mission called on Israel and Hezbollah “to step back from escalatory acts,” saying that “civilians must be protected, civilian infrastructure must not be targeted and international law must be respected.”
“We strongly urge the parties to recommit to Security Council resolutions and 1701 (2006) as the only viable solution to bring back stability in this region,” it said.
Adopted on Aug. 11, 2006, Resolution 1701 calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line (the de facto boundary between Lebanon and Israel) and the Litani River, allowing only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to possess weapons and military equipment in the area.
Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 1,057 people and injuring over 2,950 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.
The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.
