UN convoys delayed in Lebanon
Two UN convoys destined for southern Lebanon were halted today after failing to receive necessary security clearance from Israeli military forces and Hezbollah, officials said.
Christiane Berthiaume, a spokeswoman for the World Food Programme, said one aid shipment intended for the coastal city of Naqoura and one for the hillside town of Rmaich, about 85 miles south of Beirut were unable to reach their destinations.
The UN requires that Hezbollah and the Israeli army are notified of the route and time frame for each convoy, and for this information to be acknowledged by the two sides.
“We did not get the necessary concurrence, so we’re not going,” Berthiaume said.
Berthiaume added at least a dozen trucks with aid from WFP and other UN agencies were stuck in Beirut as a result.
She would not specify whether Israel or Hezbollah, or both, was responsible for the delay. Naqoura, close to the Israeli border, is the home of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
