An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir June 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 22 | By COMDT EOIN SCANlON T he United Nations Interim Force in lebanon (UNIFIl) came into being in March 1978 following the Israeli invasion and occupation of southern lebanon as far as the litani river. Tensions along lebanon's southern border had been escalating throughout the 1970s and events came to a head in March 1978 with the Israeli invasion on 14/15 March. UNIFIL was established within days of the invasion and the mission's first peacekeepers arrived in Lebanon on 23rd March 1978, tasked with implementing UN Security Council resolutions 425 and 426. The mission had three broadly defined principles: confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, restore international peace and security, and assist the government of Lebanon in en- suring the return of its effective authority in the area. Achieving these three principles would occupy UNIFIL for the next 22 years and would cost the lives of over 200 peacekeepers. In 1982, the mission was further complicated following an- other Israeli invasion, which Israel called 'Operation Peace for Galilee'. With Israeli forces this time reaching as far as Beirut, UNIFIL troops found themselves operating behind Israeli lines. Despite being restricted in fulfilling its mandate, the mission focused on distributing humanitarian aid and providing protec- tion to the local civilian population. The conflict had also led to the creation of an auxiliary force, the South Lebanon Army (SLA), referred to by the UN as the De Facto Forces (DFF). Closely supported by Israel, the SLA would re- main a major actor in the region until the 2000 Israeli withdraw- al. The period between 1982 and 2000 saw frequent clashes between Israeli and SLA forces on one side and Hezbollah and other Lebanese and Palestinian resistance groups on the other. On 17th April 2000, having maintained a presence in southern Lebanon for 20 years, Israel informed the UN secretary general that its forces would withdraw from Lebanon in accordance with UNSCRs 425 and 426. By 25th May all Israeli forces had withdrawn and the SLA had disbanded. The UN now faced the challenge of defining the line of separation between Lebanon and Israel; what would eventu- ally become known as the 'Blue Line', as well as securing the equipment abandoned by the Israeli forces and ensuring stabil- ity in the region. UNIFIL contributed to this work by monitoring the line of withdrawal, reporting violations, and continuing to distribute humanitarian aid in conjunction with Lebanese gov- ernment agencies. Throughout 2001 and 2002, the UN closely monitored the situation in the region and restructured UNIFIL, with the goal of 40-YeArs of UNIfIL An Irish peacekeeper observing the AO from Hill 880. Photo: Military Archives An Irish checkpoint in Lebanon during the early 90s. Photo: An Cosantóir Archives

• Cover