A survey conducted by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon last month found that a wall built by the Israeli military crosses the Blue Line, the de facto border, a UN spokesperson said on Friday

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

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said the concrete T-wall erected by the IDF has made more than 4,000 square meters (nearly an acre) of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the local population.

A section of an additional wall, which has also crossed the Blue Line, is being erected southeast of Yaroun, he said, citing the peacekeepers.

Dujarric said UNIFIL informed the Israeli military of its findings and requested that the wall be removed.

“Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” UNIFIL said in a separate statement.

An Israeli military spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In comments quoted by AFP, the Israeli military denied the wall crossed the Blue Line. It said the wall was part of a broader plan whose construction started in 2022. It said it was taking measures to reinforce the physical barrier.

UNIFIL, established in 1978, operates between the Litani River in the north and the Blue Line in the south. The mission has more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries and about 800 civilian staff, according to its website.