Spokesperson for UN Interim Force in Lebanon says ‘there was a unanimous decision to stay’

A spokesperson for UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on Saturday said that Israel had requested it leave its positions in south Lebanon where Israel is clashing with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, but they had refused.

They asked us to withdraw “from the positions along the blue line … or up to five kilometers (three miles) from the blue line,” UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told Agence France-Presse (AFP), using the term for the demarcation line between both countries. “But there was a unanimous decision to stay,” he said.

  • girlfreddyOPEnglish
    61·
    18 hours ago

    That does not mean they work under military rules. They are under UN control, and the UN is a peacekeeping force. It is not a nation state military force.

    • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
      111·
      18 hours ago

      The UN isn’t, but the soldiers themselves are, and are acting for their respective member state military:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_peacekeeping

      Most of these operations are established and implemented by the United Nations itself, with troops obeying UN operational control. In these cases, peacekeepers remain members of their respective armed forces, and do not constitute an independent “UN army”, as the UN does not have such a force.

      • girlfreddyOPEnglish
        9·
        18 hours ago

        … with troops obeying UN operational control

        That says the UN controls the troops.

        They are not an army, they are a peacekeeping force.

        They are also under UN rules, not their own nation’s.

        If the UN decides they can choose to stay or leave, that’s what happens.

        • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
          110·
          17 hours ago

          They are not an army,

          They are members of their own state militaries acting in an operation headed by the UN.

          They have ROEs and similar orders handed to them.

          kagis

          Here’s a sample UN peacekeeping RoE for a recent exercise simulating an actual operation.

          https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/siteassets/english/swedint/engelska/swedint/courses/unsoc/d-29-roe-incl-annex-a-d.pdf

          It’ll lay out the conditions under which one attacks and to what degree peacekeepers should hold maintain a position given the possibility that it is attacked, who they are authorized to engage, and such.

          In this situation, you’ve got an active conflict underway between Hezbollah and Israel. Like, this isn’t going to be a “there’s nobody shooting at each other” situation. My point is that normally, countries are pretty particular about the lines for international conflict, and I’d expect an RoE to have specified whether they are expected to maintain positions during an evacuation order or not.

          • Miles O'Brien@startrek.websiteEnglish
            3·
            13 hours ago

            I work for company A. Company A is based in Florida, USA. I work in a warehouse owned by Company X, and staffed by Company Z.

            As an employee of Company A, I do have my own conduct rules.

            That said, when working in Company X’s warehouse with Company Z’s people, I have a different set of conduct rules, some of which conflict with Company A’s rules. But since I’m currently on contract with and on the premises of Company X and Z, their rules take precedent. Company A understands this and is okay with it. I will not be fired.

            I am not being condescending, and genuinely hope this helps it click for you.