The end of the Unifil mission in Lebanon is scheduled for January 2027. And when, under pressure from the United States and Israel, the United Nations extended, last August 28, the mission of the UN blue helmets only until December 2026 with the scheduled dismantling starting from January 2027, the Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon he welcomed the news by publishing a video on social media in which, visibly satisfied, he exclaimed: «For once, we have good news from the UN». Israel has never hidden that it considers the UN peacekeepers an obstacle to its expansionist aims. Under the pretext of “eradicating” the Hezbollah militias – who no longer know how much they arm themselves to defend the country and how much they instead cause the invasion – Israel, through its far-right minister Ben -Gvir wants to make “southern Lebanon a new Gaza”.
Objective that they would have already achieved if they didn’t have to deal with the presence of the blue helmets who, despite all the criticisms, have their own decisive effectiveness. First of all because it is thewatchful eye of the international community on the territory. Eyes that Israel does not want them to see. It is not surprising then that «Israeli soldiers destroyed all the cameras overlooking Minghy Street at the Unifil headquarters in Naqoura» on April 4th. Cameras which, explained the contingent’s spokeswoman, Kandice Ardiel, «were positioned so as to exclusively frame the immediate vicinity of our headquartersto ensure the safety and security of the military and civilian peacekeepers residing there.”
In the cross attacks between Israeli forces and Hezbollah were three peacekeepers were also killed and several people were injured since the beginning of the Israeli invasion.
In a post published on our Defense Minister Guido Crosetto underlined that «striking the United Nations contingents is neither tolerable nor acceptable in any way. UN forces are in Lebanon to ensure peace. Those who attack the peacekeepers do not attack individual contingents: they attack the international community as a whole and the principles that guarantee coexistence between states.”
And perhaps this is exactly what Israel wants: strike against international law and push the mission to close prematurely. Because for the Netanyahu Government, waiting for January is out of time for its objectives. Bibi does not want an endless war, but tries to close the Lebanese front with a massive and permanent occupation before the end of the UN mission. The US mid-term elections could in fact, with polls showing Trump with a clear decline in support, alienate him from the unconditional support of his US ally. Not only that, a prolonged war would be a cumbersome electoral burden for Trump is already accused of allowing himself to be dragged into a senseless war at Netanyahu’s request. A pattern that Israel had also followed in 2024 when it hastened the ceasefire in Lebanon as a “gift” for the inauguration of the American president.
But it’s there an even more immediate urgency on the domestic front: Israeli elections are due by October 2026and his government coalition risks imploding over the issue of exemption from military service for the ultra-Orthodox. A conquest of Southern Lebanon soon would allow him to call early elections in a climate of triumph, exhibiting a tangible and irreversible result in intentions and shifting public attention from the failure of October 7.
A double beton himself and on Trump, who, meanwhile tramples on the lives of thousands of people. On Easter Sunday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health updated the death toll from Israeli and Hezbollah raids since the start of hostilities on March 2nd, to 1,461. Among the dead there are also 129 and 54 rescuers and medical personnel. There were 4,430 wounded and ten Lebanese army soldiers were killed, nine of them off-duty.
In this climate i blue helmets, over 1,200 of whom are Italian, continue to help the population. «Unifil», says the spokesperson, «remains determined to fulfill its mandate, including the support for humanitarian access for civilians who remain (to the extent possible) and the provision of impartial and factual reports to the Security Council on the situation on the ground. Our peacekeepers are doing this work with courage and professionalism. They remain in all our positions in southern Lebanon and along the Blue Line, despite the high levels of violence from Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces around nothe”. And, while they thank “the strong support of the countries that contribute troops to UNIFIL” they underline “the obligation of all actors to guarantee the safety and security of the peacekeepers” who will continue “to carry out the tasks envisaged by their mandate with determination, impartiality and the support of the international community”.
«This Easter», they say, «we cling to hope. Many families have been displaced and face hardship and uncertainty. Our peacekeepers continue to serve on the ground, supporting local communities where possible, facilitating access to humanitarian aid and helping to reduce tensions. We wish everyone safety, resilience and hope.”
For the peacekeepers, as explained by the General Diodato Abagnara, head of mission and commander of Unifil, «it is a different Easter, dedicated to service, which he maintains anyway a value for peace than the more than 1,200 of our Italian soldiers demonstrate with professionalism and dedication».
