Israeli forces fired on two positions used by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon today and on a third yesterday, Wednesday, the UN force said, as Israel warned Lebanese civilians not to return to their homes in the south and continued to his attack on Hezbollah.
UNIFIL said two of its peacekeepers were injured in one of the incidents, when an Israeli tank fired at an observation post at the force’s main headquarters in Nakura, hitting the tower and causing it to collapse. There were no casualties in the other two incidents, a UN source said.
“Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” UNIFIL said in a statement, adding that it was in contact with the Israeli military.
There is currently no comment from the Israeli military, which is waging a widening offensive in Lebanon against the heavily armed, Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.
The peacekeeping force UNIFIL was established in 1978 and expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Its personnel number about 10,500, with France, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia and Ghana among its top contributors, according to UNIFIL’s website.
France and Italy request a meeting
Italy has complained to Israel about the firing on positions used by UN peacekeeping troops in Lebanon, Italian Defense Minister Guido Croceto said.
Firing at UNIFIL bases is “totally unacceptable” and grossly violates international law, Croceto added in a statement.
Meanwhile, the French Defense Ministry said France and Italy want to convene a meeting of European countries contributing to UNIFIL following the shooting at its headquarters that injured two Indonesian peacekeepers.
The video conference, which was decided during a meeting between French Minister Sébastien Lecorny and his Italian counterpart Guido Croceto, will take place next week at a date to be determined. Apart from France and Italy, Spain and Ireland are the other two European countries contributing to UNIFIL.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati said talks were underway between the United States and France to revive a ceasefire, in an apparent reference to diplomatic efforts to broker a truce rejected by Israel last month. There is currently no comment from Washington or Paris.
Pressure in Washington
The Middle East remains on high alert for further escalation of the conflict sweeping the region after Hamas attacks on Israel a year ago, pending Israel’s response to an Iranian missile attack last week.
Gulf countries are pressing Washington to prevent Israel from attacking Iran’s oil facilities, as they worry that their own oil facilities could come under fire from Tehran’s proxies if the conflict escalates, three Gulf sources said. at Reuters.
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke yesterday, Wednesday, about possible Israeli retaliation against Iran, a telephone conversation that both sides described as positive.
Continuous exchange of fire
UNIFIL said an Israeli Merkava tank fired at an observation post in Nakura, a border town where it is headquartered.
Israeli soldiers also fired on a UN position in Ras Nakura, hitting the entrance to the fort where the peacekeepers were sheltering, and damaging vehicles and a communications system.
Hezbollah said it attacked Israeli forces today with a barrage of rockets as they tried to evacuate casualties from the border area of Ras al-Nakura, and that they were killed immediately.
The Israeli military said today that airstrikes last night and the day before had targeted weapons storage facilities in the southern sector of Beirut and in southern Lebanon, where it said Hezbollah infrastructure had been hit.
He also told residents of southern Lebanon that they are “forbidden to return to the homes they left in the villages and towns until further notice for their safety,” in a post on X.
Lebanon’s health ministry said an overnight Israeli strike hit a civil defense center in the village of Nerdhaiya, about 10 kilometers from the border, killing five paramedics and rescuers.
There is currently no comment from the Israeli military.
RES/EMP
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