Israel fires 455 projectiles, breaches Lebanon airspace 97 times

UNIFIL reported one of the heaviest periods of fire in months, with Israeli forces firing 455 projectiles into southern Lebanon and breaching its airspace 97 times between Friday and Sunday. Saturday alone saw 229 projectiles fired.

Israeli forces fired 455 projectiles into southern Lebanon and breached Lebanese airspace 97 times between Friday and Sunday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported, marking one of the heaviest periods of fire recorded in months.

In a statement issued on Monday, UNIFIL said Saturday alone accounted for 229 of the projectiles, the highest single-day total recorded by the peacekeeping mission since June 21, when quadrilateral talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland took place, where US and Iranian delegations, along with representatives from Qatar and Pakistan, met to discuss technical talks on a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that included provisions for ending hostilities in Lebanon by Israel.

Multiple Air, Sea, and Ground Violations

An airstrike was also reported in Al Mansuri on Sunday morning. Most of the airspace violations involved drones, while helicopters and fighter jets were also observed, as per UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq. Peacekeepers also tracked two Israeli boats moving north through Lebanese waters before turning back south on Friday. During the same period, two Israeli Merkava tanks fired three rounds eastward that landed around 200 metres from a UN position. Around 30 rounds of small-arms fire were also directed towards the same area.

Weapons and Explosives Discovered

UN peacekeepers also discovered unguarded weapons, unexploded ordnances (UXOs) and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in their area of operations, Haq said. A joint UNIFIL-Lebanese Army patrol on Friday found a 107mm rocket launcher loaded with one rocket, along with several additional rockets, along a road in Sector East. The weapons were referred to national forces for further action. On the same day, peacekeepers found and neutralised two unexploded ordnances in Sector East. Two IEDs were also discovered in Sector West and destroyed on site.

Violation of UN Resolution 1701

Throughout the summer, UNIFIL has reported observing Israel's near-daily presence inside Lebanese airspace and military activities on the ground. The UN said these activities violate Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted as the internationally agreed framework for peace and stability in southern Lebanon and which helped bring an end to the 2006 conflict between Israel and Lebanon. On August 5, UNIFIL reported observing 113 projectiles launched by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which was then the highest daily number recorded by the mission since June 21.

Disruption of Long-Term Stability

For nearly two decades, UN Security Council Resolution 1701 has expanded UNIFIL's role alongside the Lebanese Army and helped create conditions for one of the longest periods of relative calm, allowing communities to rebuild, businesses to reopen and tourism to gradually return. That progress was disrupted by the escalation that began in late 2023, with exchanges of fire along the Blue Line of separation triggered by the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, following a Hamas-led coordinated surprise cross-border assault from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on October 7. The subsequent conflicts of 2024 and 2026 have once again left communities facing loss, destruction and displacement. (ANI)

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