UN peacekeeping force confronted in southern Lebanon

Beirut: The force, known as UNIFIL, said one of its patrols was confronted between the villages of Jmayjmeh and Khirbet Selm Friday by a large group of people in civilian clothing who “attempted to stop the patrol using aggressive means, wielding metal sticks and axes, resulting in damage to the vehicles.”

The peacekeepers used “non-lethal force” in response, and there were no injuries, it said in a statement.

Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accuse the UN mission — which was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion — of collusion with Israel.

Israel has accused the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to Hezbollah’s military activities in southern Lebanon.

Earlier this week, UNIFIL issued a statement that complained of “aggressive behaviour” by Israeli forces towards its peacekeepers, including shots fired across the border that hit a UNIFIL base south of the village of Kfar Shouba.