United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon

As a strategic partner of Israel, and also a country with traditional ties with the Muslim world, Greece, a NATO and European Union member in close proximity to the Middle East, is monitoring the latest developments in the region and is ready to play any role that may be deemed necessary.

United Nations officials said on Monday that six months of violence on the Israel-Lebanon border "must stop", urging de-escalation "while there is still space for diplomacy".

United Nations peacekeepers said three military observers and a translator were wounded Saturday in a blast in southern Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah militants trade frequent cross-border fire.

The parliament approved a presidential motion on Oct. 18 to extend the mandate of Turkish troops in Lebanon for one more year.

The mandate for deployment of Turkish Armed Forces as part of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will be extended as of Oct. 30, 2022.

"Six rockets were launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel, but all of them landed within Lebanese territory. In response, our artillery forces fired at targets from which rockets were launched", the Israeli army said.
The explosions were heard around the Misgav Am kibbutz in northern Israel just before the Israeli army announced that it had responded with artillery fire.

Berlin stands in solidarity with Athens and Nicosia, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was reported as saying on Thursday during a visit to Cyprus, where she also called on Ankara to respect international law.

The Turkish parliament on July 17 approved a motion to extend the deployment of Turkish troops in Lebanon for another year as part of the United Nation's interim force.        

The term of Turkish soldiers in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, also known as UNIFIL, was extended from Sept. 5 to Oct. 31, 2018.        

The Turkish parliament will debate whether or not to extend the ongoing state of emergency in Turkey for another three months on July 17, a source from the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) parliamentary group has said.        

The Australian government tried to give some explanations for its decision to withdraw its troops from UNFICYP after 53 years.

According to a communiqué by the UN in Cyprus, the Australian government says the reasons for the withdrawal of the forces are economic.

The Turkish parliament approved on July 8 a motion authorizing the government to extend the mission of Turkey's troops in Lebanon under a United Nations' peacekeeping mission for one more year.