Austria’s United Nations soldiers will remain in Lebanon even after the start of the Israeli ground offensive that began on Tuesday morning.
“There is currently no intention to end the mission,” said Defence Ministry spokesman Michael Bauer on Tuesday in response to an inquiry from the Austria Press Agency. The assessment of the situation has “not changed,” and Austria will not undertake any unilateral actions, as it currently has around 160 soldiers deployed in the crisis-hit country as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Israeli troops crossed the border into Lebanon earlier today in what the Israeli military described as a “limited” ground operation against the Lebanese Islamic organisation Hezbollah.
The UNIFIL soldiers are stationed in Naqoura, southern Lebanon, near the Mediterranean coast and the Israeli border.
Bauer emphasised that the security situation in Lebanon has been consistently challenging for around two years. The country is “not a holiday destination.” The UNIFIL bases also have “shelters” where soldiers can retreat in the event of direct or indirect threats. The UNIFIL is also in contact with the warring parties.
Lebanon has been in a state of war with Israel since 1948. The UN mission was initiated in 1978 due to violent conflicts between the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Israeli army. The fighting ultimately led to Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon. Beirut distanced itself from the PLO’s actions from Lebanese territory and appealed to the UN Security Council for assistance. Consequently, UN resolutions 425 and 426 were passed, demanding Israel’s immediate withdrawal from the Cedar State and establishing the UNIFIL observer mission.
The UNIFIL mandate was expanded in 2006 following a new Israeli military operation in Lebanon. During that conflict, an Austrian peacekeeper lost his life.