Head of UNIFIL mission says Israel-Lebanon border calm

The head of the UN monitoring force deployed along the Israeli Lebanese border said Wednesday that the area was quiet, rebuffing Israeli worries that tensions in the area were ramping up.

At a meeting with senior Lebanese and Israeli Army officials, Major-General Luciano Portolano, the new head of mission at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, said the northern border “is generally calm,” according to a UNIFIL statement.

Portolano, who chaired the meeting at the Ras Al Naqoura crossing, expressed his appreciation for both parties’ commitment in maintaining a ceasefire following recent hostilities and addressed violations and incidents.

The assessment seemingly ran counter to a recent warning from a senior IDF officer who told Hebrew-language media that the situation could easily deteriorate. He added that in an upcoming conflict Hezbollah would try to capture Israeli territory, raising alarms among northern residents.

In July and August, a dozen rockets were fired into Israel in what Lebanese officials said was an act of solidarity with Gazans. In a coordinated effort to stop the sporadic rocket attacks the Lebanese army together with UNIFIL peacekeepers increased border patrols and arrested several terrorists in connection with the attacks.

Portolano said he was pleased by the meeting’s constructive discussions.

“In the current tense regional context, this mechanism has continued to deliver, and has proved effective in containing incidents or violations and de-conflicting the situation at critical moments.”