UNIFIL, Lebanese army to test material after Israeli forces report chemical drop north of Blue Line
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Summary
The UN said the Israeli Defense Forces reported dropping a substance north of the Blue Line in southern Lebanon; UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces collected samples to test for toxicity and UN operations were suspended for more than nine hours.
The UN spokesperson said the Israeli Defense Forces informed peacekeeping colleagues in southern Lebanon that they had carried out an aerial activity that dropped what the IDF described as a "nontoxic chemical substance" over areas near the Blue Line. The spokesperson reported that UNIFIL temporarily suspended more than a dozen activities, with normal operations resuming only after roughly nine hours.
UNIFIL supported the Lebanese Armed Forces in collecting samples to test the material for toxicity. The spokesperson said the UN continues to remind the Israeli Defense Forces that flights across the Blue Line into Lebanon may violate Security Council resolution 1701 and that any activity that could put peacekeepers and civilians at risk is of serious concern.
Reporters asked whether the material landed on Lebanese territory; the spokesperson said initial reporting placed the drops north of the Blue Line (Lebanese territory) and that tests by the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL were ongoing with no initial publicized results.
The spokesperson declined to speculate on the substance’s stated purpose and said the UN would share results when the analysis is available. No new operational mandate changes or legal determinations were announced at the briefing.