UN force in Lebanon spying on Israeli forces and aiding Hezbollah, IDF says

IDF accuses UNIFIL force of monitoring Israeli troop movements, adding that some of the information collected ended up in Hezbollah’s possession.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli military representatives told lawmakers in a classified Knesset hearing that United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have been collecting information on IDF troops and that some of the material is reaching Hezbollah, according to a report published by Arutz Sheva on Wednesday.

The disclosure was made during a closed session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

According to the report, IDF officials said the information gathered by members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, has been leaking directly to Hezbollah and creating a serious security risk for Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon.

The IDF did not immediately issue a public statement on the reported closed-door testimony.

The report marks an escalation in Israel’s public criticism of UNIFIL, which has operated in southern Lebanon since 1978 and is tasked with helping monitor the Israel-Lebanon border area and supporting the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

UNIFIL says its mandate includes monitoring the cessation of hostilities, supporting the Lebanese army in the south and helping ensure the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River is free of armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Lebanese government and UNIFIL.

Israeli officials have long accused the force of failing to prevent Hezbollah from building military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

More recently, some Israeli defense officials have alleged that UNIFIL personnel have gone beyond their mission by documenting Israeli troop movements.

A senior Northern Command officer told Ynet several months ago that Israeli forces had encountered UNIFIL troops recording IDF activity rather than monitoring Hezbollah or the border.

“We encounter them documenting IDF forces instead of monitoring Hezbollah terrorists or the border,” the officer said. “They act as a foreign force doing suspicious and irregular things, beyond their mandate.”

The latest report said IDF representatives told lawmakers that the information flow was not merely a theoretical concern, but that sensitive material was reaching Hezbollah and endangering Israeli troops.

The claims come as UNIFIL’s future is already under review.

The UN Security Council voted in August to extend the mission’s mandate for a final time through December 31, 2026, after which the force is expected to begin a yearlong drawdown and withdrawal.

Reuters reported this week that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has proposed maintaining some form of uniformed UN presence in Lebanon after UNIFIL’s mandate expires, with options ranging from a light observer mission to a larger force with broader monitoring and de-escalation capabilities.