New Delhi: The Indian Army has a plan ready to evacuate its contingent in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission, ThePrint has learnt. This comes at a time when Israel’s attacks on positions held by the UN peacekeepers injured two Indonesian and two Italian peacekeepers.
According to sources in the Army, India had prepared a contingency plan to evacuate its peacekeepers soon after Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on 1 October. However, the Indian contingent is currently safe and there is no plan for an immediate evacuation, the sources added.
“It is only in case of a contingency that these will be implemented,” an Army source said.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Tuesday said it was concerned about the “deteriorating security situation” and called for the “safety of UN peacekeepers”.
The UNIFIL was established in March 1978 by the United Nations Security Council with the mandate to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, restore peace and security, and assist the government of Lebanon to ensure the return of its authority in the area.
India has been providing an infantry battalion group and a sizeable number of headquarters staff personnel in the UNIFIL mission since November 1998. Currently, there are 903 Indian troops in UNIFIL.
Most of these troops are deployed in the easternmost battalion area and the headquarters are located in the village of Suq Al Khan in southeastern Lebanon. Additionally, 50 personnel are deployed at the headquarters at Naqoura, a city in the south, and one officer is in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
At least 4 peacekeepers injured
The situation in West Asia has been tense after Israel launched a full-scale war in Gaza in response to the Hamas’ multi-pronged attack on the mainland that killed 1,200 people, including 800 civilians, on 7 October 2023. The situation has continued to deteriorate since, particularly with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group exchanging fire with Israel over its northern border over the situation in Gaza—where more than 41,000 civilians, including women and children, have been killed over the past year.
On 1 October, Israel began its ground offensive in southern Lebanon, along the Litani river, in what it claimed was a bid to destroy Hezbollah assets. So far, more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in Lebanon. According to the UNSC Resolution 1701, the river is the northern border of the UN-designated buffer zone established after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
UNIFIL has called Israel’s ground offensive a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.
At the time of the offensive, the UN Sector East advised the peacekeepers to remain at their designated positions and continue to report violations of UN Resolution 1701. On Thursday, UNIFIL said two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured after Israeli forces fired at a watchtower at the headquarters.
Israel said it had fired near the base after directing UN forces to stay inside.
Two Italian peacekeepers have also been injured in a separate attack in the UNFIL’s western sector this week, ThePrint has learnt. It was not immediately clear when the attack took place.
While it had come up with a contingency plan, Indian Army sources told ThePrint that no specific advisory had been issued by the Indian government to the UN troops. According to the army sources, neither Israel nor Hezbollah communicated with UNIFIL before or after the start of the offensive.
On Tuesday, the MEA said in a statement, “We are concerned at the deteriorating security situation along the Blue Line. We continue to monitor the situation closely.”
“Inviolability of UN premises must be respected by all, and appropriate measures taken to ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers and the sanctity of their mandate,” it added.
Assam regiment deployed in Lebanon
According to the UNIFIL website, the mission has around 10,500 peacekeepers coming from 50 troop-contributing countries. The mission also carries out certain activities jointly with the Lebanese armed forces. UNIFIL is complemented by a five-vessel maritime task force.
Currently, India has one battalion of the Assam regiment deployed in Lebanon as part of UNIFIL. The battalion is generally selected on the basis of their profile over the last 30 years.
While the infantry battalion is the core battalion, elements of other arms and services complement the battalion. Officers from other arms and services are also shortlisted on the basis of their personal profile after a thorough screening done at the force-headquarters level.
After selection, all personnel undergo a pre-induction training at Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in Delhi. Each battalion group is generally deployed at a mission for a period of one year.
The mandate of the mission has been adjusted twice in 1982 and 2000 after developments in the region. And, in 2006, when war broke out between Israel and Hezbollah, UNIFIL was given the additional responsibilities of monitoring the cessation of hostilities as well as coordinating with the two governments.
The mission also included ensuring humanitarian access to civilian populations and helping the safe return of displaced persons. In addition, the mission was also required to take steps to establish an area free of “any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and UNIFIL deployed in this area” between the Blue Line and the Litani river.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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