UNIFIL Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti asserted that “UNIFIL is continuing its missions in coordination with the Lebanese authorities, including joint patrols with the Lebanese Armed Forces,” noting that “nothing has changed.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, he reiterated “the forces’ determination to work closely with the Lebanese army to defuse tensions on the ground.”
Tenenti’s position comes after a dispute between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces during a joint patrol in Kfar Hammam. In the incident, the French patrol changed its route, the Lebanese officer objected, and the patrol then withdrew from the wrong location and completed its predetermined route. A few minutes later, an Israeli drone targeted the location, creating great confusion that even reached the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army, General Joseph Aoun, who then opposed the action of the French forces.
This is not the first time such an incident occurs, as three months ago the same thing happened in Aita al-Shaab with French troops, and after leaving the area, an Israeli drone attacked a Hezbollah missile platform.
