The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants issued the following statement:
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants strongly condemns, in the harshest terms, the gunfire that targeted the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Sunday, March 15, 2026, in three separate incidents while they were conducting routine patrols near their bases in Yater, Deir Kifa, and Qlaileh. This serious and unacceptable attack on peacekeeping forces constitutes a violation of international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions. It should be noted that UNIFIL, under its mandate and in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006), has the right to take the necessary measures to defend itself and to resist any attempts to prevent it by force from carrying out its duties.
The Ministry expresses Lebanon’s full and unwavering solidarity with UNIFIL, its leadership, and the troop-contributing countries, reaffirming Lebanon’s deep appreciation for the essential role these forces play in supporting peace, security, and stability in southern Lebanon.
The Ministry also recalls the decision issued by the Council of Ministers on March 2, 2026, banning the military and security activities of Hezbollah, considering them illegal, and obligating it to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese state. It stresses that the government’s decision in this regard is clear and unambiguous: no armed group outside the framework of the state will be allowed to plunge Lebanon into chaos in service of suspicious agendas.
The Lebanese state also reaffirms its firm determination to impose its sovereignty over all its territory and to restrict weapons exclusively to its legitimate institutions, in order to protect Lebanon and safeguard its security and the interests of its people.”
