Israel admitted that one of its tanks raided a base of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon (Finul) this Sunday (10/13/2024) after suffering an attack by Hezbollah and while trying to evacuate wounded soldiers. .
“An initial review showed that an Army tank that was trying to evacuate wounded soldiers while still under fire retreated several meters towards a Finul post. During the incident, the Army did not pose any danger to the UN forces,” the Israeli Army reported.
The Hezbollah attack left more than twenty Israeli soldiers with minor and moderate injuries, and two of them were seriously injured, according to the Army’s international spokesperson, Colonel Nadav Shoshani, in a press conference.
The Israeli tank abandoned the Finul post once “the enemy fire” ceased and when the evacuation of the wounded was completed.
“During the incident, a smoke screen was used to provide cover for the evacuation of injured soldiers. “The Army soldiers maintained coordination with Finul,” the military statement states.
This Sunday, Finul accused the Israeli Army of endangering its soldiers after two tanks raided a base, which again violates resolution 1701 of the United Nations Security Council.
“At around 4:30 local time, while the peacekeepers were in shelters, two Merkava tanks of the Israeli Army destroyed the main gate of the position and forcibly entered it,” the mission reported in a statement.
According to the note, Israeli soldiers asked several times for the base to turn off its lights and the tanks left about 45 minutes later, after FINUL protested through the liaison mechanism, saying that “the Army’s presence was putting in danger.” danger to the soldiers of peace.
“Despite wearing protective masks, fifteen troops suffered effects, including skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions due to smoke entering the camp,” said Finul, which detailed that the troops are receiving treatment.
The UN mission in Lebanon reminded the Israeli Army “for the fourth time in two days” that its obligations include “ensuring the protection and security of United Nations personnel and property and respecting the inviolability of United Nations facilities.” of the United Nations at all times.
“Since the beginning of our operations in southern Lebanon we have been in contact with Finul and we have informed them of each of our steps to protect them,” said Shoshani.
This Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the UN mission of being “human shields” for the Shiite group Hezbollah, after five peacekeepers were injured by Israeli fire in the last three days.
The refusal to “evacuate the Finul soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah. This endangers their lives and those of our soldiers,” the president said in a video message.
Netanyahu assured that Israel has requested the withdrawal of the blue helmets on several occasions.
War crime
For his part, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, denounced the attacks that injured several members of the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, according to his spokesman, in the midst of the advance of Israeli forces against the Hezbollah militants.
“Finul personnel and their facilities should never be targeted,” Guterres said in a statement, referring to the organization’s blue helmets in Lebanon.
“Attacks against peacekeepers violate international law… (and) may constitute a war crime,” added the UN chief, according to his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
“In a deeply worrying incident that occurred today, the entrance gate of a UN position was deliberately breached by armored vehicles of the IDF” (Israel’s armed forces), the statement added.
At least five peacekeepers have been injured in recent days in Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Finul, a mission of some 9,500 soldiers of various nationalities created after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1978, has accused the Israeli Army of “deliberately” firing at its positions.
Dujarric urged “all parties,” including the Israeli Armed Forces, “to refrain from any action that endangers peacekeepers.”
The European Union also called this Sunday for the attacks against Finul to cease “immediately”, which constitute a “serious” violation of international law, while calling for “urgent explanations and a thorough investigation by the Israeli authorities.”
“These attacks on United Nations peacekeepers constitute a serious violation of international law and are totally unacceptable. These attacks must stop immediately,” said the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, in a statement on behalf of the Twenty-Seven.
The head of European diplomacy noted that the Twenty-Seven are “urgently awaiting explanations and a thorough investigation by the Israeli authorities into the attacks against Finul, which plays a fundamental role in the stability of southern Lebanon.”
#Israel #admits #tanks #raided #Finul #base #Diario #Página
