UN peacekeepers say Israel built walls inside Lebanon

BEIRUT: United Nations peacekeepers said Friday that Israel's army has built walls in south Lebanon near the UN-demarcated Blue Line, the de facto border, nearly a year after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

In October, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon surveyed "a concrete T-wall erected by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) southwest of Yaroun. The survey confirmed that the wall crossed the Blue Line, rendering more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people," UNIFIL.

"In November, peacekeepers observed additional T-wall construction in the area. A survey confirmed that a section of wall southeast of Yaroun also crossed the Blue Line," it added, urging Israel to withdraw.