KUALA LUMPUR: MALAYSIAN peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon face daily bombardments from Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) following the escalation of conflict in the area.
Some of the more intense bombardments have confined Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) personnel to their bunkers for up to 14 hours.
Malbatt 850-11 commander Colonel Burhan Sagoni told the New Straits Times that the battalion's area of operation endured almost daily bombardments by the IDF, as the area coincided with Hizbollah's firing positions.
He said the nearest bombardment occurred 1km from their camp, requiring them to take shelter in bunkers.
"Basically, there are bombardments every day. The bombardments are unpredictable," he said.
"For example, over the last two to three days, the IDF has focused on bombarding Malbatt's area of operation, which spans some 288 square kilometres.
"Yesterday, we were under Threat Level 3 twice. That's 14 hours spent inside the bunkers."
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), which Malbatt operates under, uses a three-level threat system for peacekeepers' safety.
At Threat Level 1, regular operations and patrols continue. At Level 2, only essential resupply missions are permitted outside the camp.
Level 3, the highest threat level, requires all personnel to remain in bunkers due to imminent threats.
Burhan, who has served in Lebanon with Malbatt for nearly a year, said the battalion remains steadfast in ensuring peace and stability in its area of operation despite the intense bombardments.
One of its recent missions involved delivering much-needed water supplies to the only functioning hospital in Tibnin on Oct 22.
"We sent 18,000 gallons of water twice a week to keep the hospital operational. It's the only hospital in southern Lebanon.
"The water is sourced from a well in Camp Harris, which is under Malbatt's responsiblity."
Malbatt, he said, also helps fellow peacekeepers by providing ration resupplies to their units.
Burhan said Malbatt recently provided crucial supplies to the Irish-Polish battalion stationed along the Blue Line.
The Blue Line is the demarcation line dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights.
It was established by the United Nations in 2000 to mark whether Israel had fully withdrawn from Lebanon following the former's invasion of the country in 1978.
Burhan said Malbatt was also conducting force protection measures at several Unifil camps, including Camp Harris, Camp Tibnin, Camp Marakah and an area near the Litani River.
Malbatt 850-11 comprises 853 personnel and officers, including 29 from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. The first batch of Malaysian peacekeepers was deployed to Lebanon in January 2007.
Unifil, which has about 9,500 peacekeepers from around 50 countries, is tasked with monitoring a ceasefire agreement that ended a 33-day war between Israel and Hizbollah in 2006.
Its role was bolstered by UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of that year, which stipulated that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be deployed in southern Lebanon.