The German government categorically rejected the accusations of sources associated with the Lebanese Shia movement "Hezbollah" that German forces participating in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon are cooperating with Israel, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
"Media in Lebanon close to "Hezbollah" are spreading claims that Germany and the German-led UN Task Force on Maritime Affairs are intervening in the fighting in Lebanon on the side of Israel," the Ministry of Defense said today. "The German government categorically rejects these allegations," add it.
Germany maintains about 100 military personnel within the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which monitors the implementation of the peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel. About 60 German servicemen, men and women, are stationed on the corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein, which leads UNIFIL's maritime forces.
At the beginning of November, Israeli special forces detained a man in the Lebanese city of Batroun, who, according to security sources, was involved in smuggling weapons for "Hezbollah" between Lebanon and Syria. In relation to this incident, UNIFIL stated that it was not involved in any abduction or other acts violating Lebanese sovereignty. The mission noted that disinformation and the spread of false rumors are irresponsible and threaten the security of peacekeepers.
During the visit of German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock to Beirut in October, the Lebanese newspaper "Al Akhbar" sharply criticized her policy in the Middle East and accused her of supporting the "Israeli-Western narrative".
The German Ministry of Defense specifically emphasized that "there is no direct contact between the task force and the Israeli military" and that no information about the situation is transmitted.