Geagea to authorities: Prove Lebanon is a real state by protecting UNIFIL

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea voiced strong concern over the recent incidents targeting UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon and the lack of a clear response from the Lebanese authorities.

In a statement, Geagea said that if the U.N. peacekeeping force is overstepping its mandate, the Lebanese government should formally notify it. 

“But if UNIFIL is operating within its authorized scope—as clearly outlined in U.N. Resolution 1701 and in every renewal of its mandate—then it is the duty of the relevant security agencies to not only intervene immediately to stop clashes between local youth and peacekeepers but also to arrest and prosecute those attacking them.”

He warned that the government's passive stance, acting as a mere mediator between UNIFIL and its attackers, weakens the state's authority and sends the wrong message—one that suggests nothing has changed in Lebanon despite years of crisis. 

“This must be urgently corrected,” he said, “by arresting the perpetrators and acting in a way that signals the presence of a functioning state.”