Beirut, February 02 (QNA) - The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warned the Israeli entity against dropping unidentified chemical substances from its aircraft over southern Lebanon.

In a statement, UNIFIL said Israel informed the mission on Sunday that it would conduct an aerial activity to release what it described as a non-toxic chemical substance over areas near the Blue Line, requesting that UNIFIL forces remain under shelter.

UNIFIL added that it was unable to carry out routine operations along about one-third of the Blue Line, and could only resume normal activities after more than nine hours. The mission assisted the Lebanese Armed Forces in collecting samples to test their toxicity levels.

UNIFIL stressed that this activity is unacceptable and violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701, noting that the deliberate and planned actions by Israel not only limited the peacekeepers’ ability to carry out their mandated tasks but could also potentially endanger their health and that of civilians.

The dropping of chemical substances has raised concerns among residents about unknown long-term effects on local agricultural lands and the return of civilians to their homes and livelihoods.

According to UNIFIL, this is not the first instance of the Israeli army releasing unidentified chemical substances from its aircraft over Lebanon. (QNA)