The UN security council has expressed its concern after a series of strikes on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), over the past few days.

On Tuesday local time, UN Security Council President Pascale Baeriswyl told a press conference that all 15 members of the UN Security Council have urged all parties "to respect the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and UN premises."

"They recall that UN peacekeepers and UN premises should never be the target of an attack," Ms Baeriswyl said.

As the conflict in Lebanon escalates, the question is why peacekeepers are in Lebanon in the first place.

Here is what you need to know.

What is UNIFIL?

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was established by the UN Security Council in March 1978 where resolutions 425 and 426 were made to confirm Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and security, and assist the Lebanese government in restoring its effective authority in the area.

According to the UNIFIL website, following the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, the Security Council added an additional resolution called 1701.

The 1701 resolution includes:

• Monitoring the cessation of hostilities.
• Accompanying and supporting Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the South, including along the Blue Line, as Israel withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon.
• Assisting the government of Lebanon, at its request, in securing its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related material.

The Blue Line is a UN-mapped line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. 

Israeli forces withdrew to the Blue Line when they left south Lebanon in 2000.

Any unauthorised crossing of the Blue Line by land or by air from any side constitutes a violation of Security Council resolution 1701, Reuters reported.

"The UNIFIL in Lebanon has more of a monitoring and compliance capability, to ensure humanitarian aid is provided to assist with that," former International Criminal Court prosecution trial lawyer Regina Weiss told ABC News.

She said the UN peacekeepers were not combatants and not aligned with any one party.

Where do peacekeepers operate?

According to the United Nations Peacekeeping website, there are currently 11 peacekeeping operations that are being led by the Deparment of Peace Operations.

In the peacekeeping operation in Lebanon, as of April 2024, the deployed number of personnel is 10,541 and the total number of uniformed personnel is 13,000.

Netanyahu calls on UN to evacuate peacekeepers from Lebanon

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UN to evacuate troops in its UNIFIL peacekeeping force from combat areas in Lebanon.

Mr Netanyahu said the military had asked the UN to evacuate the soldiers repeatedly, adding that their presence in the area made them hostages of Hezbollah.

At least five peacekeepers have been wounded in a series of strikes that have hit peacekeeping positions and personnel in the past few days.

Ms Weiss said UN staff have special protections under international law.

"They work under the UN Charter. If Benjamin Netanyahu wants to have those peacekeepers removed, it must be done through the Security Council," she said.

"The international community is not agreeing with him, they are saying they need to remain and the IDF need to respect UN peacekeepers and the protections attached to them.

"Let's remember that 15 member states, five permanent member states of the Security Council and 10 others all agreed unanimously that UNIFIL must remain in Lebanon and that was only six weeks ago."

European leaders agree attacks on UN forces should stop

In a joint statement, the leaders of France, Italy and Spain condemned the recent targeting of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon by the Israel Defence Forces and said such attacks were "unjustifiable" and should "immediately come to an end," Reuters reported.

"These attacks constitute serious violation of the obligations of Israel under UNSCR (United Nations Security Council Resolution) 1701 and under humanitarian international law," the statement said.

"We recall that all peacekeepers must be protected and reiterate our praise for the continued and indispensable commitment of UNIFIL troops/personnel in this very challenging context," it added, calling for "an immediate ceasefire."

ABC has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.

Why can't the UN be forceful?

When asked by ABC News why the UN can't be more forceful, Ms Weiss said it is still important the UN makes these declarations, regardless of what Israel's response is.

"They reflect the international community and that is important to get out there. Unfortunately, Israel hasn't had a good track record of listening to any council at all from the UN."

She said the International Court of Justice (ICC) made two landmark advisory decisions relating to Gaza, which have been "largely ignored."

"What really needs to happen here is more of a multilateral approach. The UN Security Council has shown it and the US has agreed that UNIFIL needs to be there. 

"The pressure needs to be put on [Mr] Netanyahu and the IDF to respect international law in that regard."

She added that the pressure needs to continue and Israel's allies need to think about how much support they should be giving to them, now that the attacks have turned on peacekeepers.

How do peacekeepers deal with violations of 1701?

According to the United Nations website, whenever there is an incident across the Blue Line, UNIFIL immediately deploys additional troops to that location if needed to avoid a direct conflict between the two sides and to ensure that the situation is contained. 

"At the same time, it liaises with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces in order to reverse and bring an end to the situation without any escalation," the website said.

On its website, UNIFIL said peacekeepers would remain in their positions despite the dangerous developments in Lebanon.

 "We are regularly adjusting our posture and activities, and we have contingency plans ready to activate if absolutely necessary."

According to the United Nations website, under certain circumstances UNIFIL can exercise their right to use force beyond self-defence.

The UNIFIL is renewed annually by the UN Security Council at the request of Lebanon.

ABC/Reuters