Symbolic Western Rebukes After Israel Attacks UN in Lebanon

Date: 28 October 2025 - 21:40

News ID: ۱۴۵۱۴۴

BEIRUT (Dispatches) — The United Nations, France and the European Union have condemned an Israeli attack that targeted UN peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon, but critics say the muted diplomatic reaction amounts to little more than a symbolic rebuke, allowing Israel to continue its near-daily strikes in defiance of last year’s ceasefire.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the weekend assault — involving an Israeli drone dropping a grenade near a UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol and a tank firing toward peacekeepers near Kfar Kila — was “very, very dangerous.”
He said UNIFIL had lodged a “vehement protest” with the Israeli military, which has previously been accused of targeting peacekeepers with lasers and warning shots.
France’s foreign ministry also condemned “the Israeli fire that targeted a UNIFIL detachment,” noting it was the fourth such attack this month. The European Union issued a similar statement, urging Israel to respect UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and withdraw from Lebanese territory. Yet, observers say these condemnations have done little to restrain Israel’s conduct.
Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect in November 2024, Israel has launched near-daily air raids on Lebanese territory, often hitting civilian areas under the pretext of striking Hezbollah infrastructure.
On Monday, two brothers were killed in a strike on a sawmill in the village of Al-Bayyad in Tyre district. Over the weekend, at least three others were killed in southern and eastern Lebanon.
Israel maintains five military positions inside Lebanese territory — a violation of the truce that required a full withdrawal by January 2025. Despite repeated calls from the UN and European governments, the Israeli army has shown no sign of pulling out.
Analysts and Lebanese officials accuse European governments of hypocrisy: while publicly calling for de-escalation, they have simultaneously pressured Beirut to disarm Hezbollah — a move critics say would leave Lebanon defenseless against future Israeli incursions.
“Europe’s approach effectively rewards Israeli aggression while stripping Lebanon of any deterrence,” one Beirut-based political analyst was quoted as saying.
Israel’s continued strikes and Europe’s limited response have raised fears of a renewed conflict. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned this week that “the possibility of war exists but depends on their calculations.”
For many in Lebanon, the condemnations from Paris, Brussels, and the UN ring hollow — symbolic gestures that have failed to prevent Israel from violating the ceasefire almost daily for the past year.