Lebanese Army Tours Blue Line Ahead of UNIFIL Extension Discussions

Just before the extension of UNIFIL forces in three weeks at the United Nations Security Council and with the aim of highlighting Israel's multiple violations of the borders, which some Western countries, especially the permanent members of the Security Council, ignore, the Lebanese Army organized a border tour for representatives of these countries along the Blue Line, accompanied by over seventy journalists from local and foreign institutions.

 

As the point of Ras Al Naqoura is a pivotal point representing the convergence between the land and sea, located at the entrance to the tunnel of Ras Al Naqoura, the tour started from its vicinity.

The British constructed this tunnel in 1942, and the Israelis placed a cement wall at its entrance, although it constitutes a breach extending seventy meters into Lebanese territory.

Using maps, officers from the Fifth Brigade explained at the tower site on Naqoura Hill the extent of Israeli occupation breaches and their persistence in thirteen areas.

There are also transmission, eavesdropping, and jamming towers within the restricted areas, and a tall iron barrier penetrates Lebanese lands in some places.

Talking about border demarcation is not accurate, according to the Lebanese Army. It is more appropriate to use the term "border delineation." The Army sent a message to those concerned with this matter locally and internationally.

Diplomats and foreign military attachés listened to the information and noted some details.

Lebanon asserts that the Blue Line is a withdrawal line, not a borderline. Our borders with Palestine have been demarcated since 1923 and confirmed in the armistice agreement signed in 1949.