Over the past weeks, UNIFIL peacekeepers ramped up support to communities affected by the recent hostilities – including through medical assistance, education support, veterinary support, and facilitating humanitarian missions – across south Lebanon, where damaged infrastructure and pressure on essential services continue to affect daily lives.
Working with municipalities and community representatives, peacekeepers identified local needs and provided support within their means and capabilities.
Throughout the month of August, UNIFIL medical teams provided medical care to hundreds of people across south Lebanon, including in communities where access to healthcare and specialized services remains limited. Peacekeepers also supported local health facilities with medicines and medical supplies, helping them respond to the needs of the communities they serve.
For families who depend on livestock, assistance took another form. UNIFIL veterinary teams treated animals, provided medicines and worked with shepherds in rural communities, helping protect an important source of livelihood. In Chebaa, for example, UNIFIL’s Indian peacekeepers provided veterinary assistance to the local shepherding community thereby supporting their livelihoods.
Vulnerable communities, particularly women and children who were disproportionately affected by the conflict, continued to benefit from UNIFIL’s support initiatives including psychosocial care. In Baraachit, for example, some 300 children took part recently in a psychosocial support programme, while UNIFIL peacekeepers provided 400 educational kits.
UNIFIL support extended to services that communities rely on every day. Peacekeepers helped repair damaged water networks and deep-well pumps, delivered drinking water to hospitals and communities, and worked with municipalities to repair vehicles and equipment used to provide essential services. On 25 August, a UNIFIL maintenance team from the mission’s Indian contingent repaired municipal equipment in El Hebbariye, including two firefighting trucks.
At the end of August, the mission’s Korean peacekeepers successfully completed the installation of a high-voltage solar battery system for the local water-pumping facility in Burj Rahhal – essential for a continued water supply in the area. More recently, they also supported a public library in Burj al-Shamali with wooden cabinets that would ensure an improved learning environment for young students.
“All these support initiatives run parallel to our core operational tasks,” said the UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander, Major General Diodato Abagnara. “In particular, our liaison channels with the parties operate round-the-clock for necessary deconfliction of various humanitarian and life-saving missions.”
Despite a multitude of challenges on the ground, UNIFIL peacekeepers remain deployed across south Lebanon and along the Blue Line, monitoring and reporting developments, maintaining liaison with the parties, supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces and working to reduce tensions and prevent escalation.
As communities continue to deal with the consequences of conflict, UNIFIL’s engagement helps address immediate needs, preserve access to essential services and strengthen local resilience — complementing the Mission’s broader efforts to support stability in south Lebanon.
