The UN Security Council is debating the annual extension of the mandate for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a peacekeeping contingent deployed in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel. They monitor the Blue Line, stretches of which remain contested, and safeguard the 2006 cessation of hostilities. In mid-2022, Israel moved to expand gas exploration in Mediterranean waters that Lebanon also claimed at the time. (The Blue Line bisects Ghajar, putting its southern portion in Israel.) On 6 April, when many Israelis were observing Passover, more than 30 missiles were launched from southern Lebanon toward populated areas in northern Israel.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 22, 2023 11:08 UTC