Canada condemns Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

HAMILTON, Canada

Canada on Friday condemned the recent Israeli attacks targeting the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), urging the protection of peacekeepers and respect for UN resolutions.

"Canada condemns the dropping of four grenades by the IDF near UNIFIL peacekeepers and calls for the protection of peacekeepers and the full implementation of the UNSCR 1701 respected," Foreign Ministry of Canada said on US social media company X.

Ottawa's response comes after Israeli drones dropped stun grenades on Sept. 2 near UN peacekeepers clearing roadblocks along the Blue Line, the de facto border between Israel and Lebanon.

The incident came just days after the UN Security Council unanimously renewed UNIFIL’s mandate on Aug. 28.

UNIFIL has operated in southern Lebanon since 1978 and was significantly reinforced under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 after the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group, Hezbollah.

Cross-border warfare between Hezbollah and Israeli forces began in October 2023. It escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israel has conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon since then, claiming to target Hezbollah activities.

Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon earlier this year, but it still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.