UN peacekeepers were injured in Israel’s fourth attack on the Lebanon mission

Beirut, October 11 (EFE). – At least two UN peacekeepers were injured in another Israeli attack on the UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon on Friday, marking the fourth such incident in two days.

According to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), the attack occurred when a suspected Israeli Merkava tank fired at a UNIFIL tower along the road to Naqoura near a Lebanese Army checkpoint, injuring two soldiers from the Sri Lankan battalion.

State media also reported that “enemy forces fired an artillery shell at the main entrance of the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, damaging the entrance.”

Israel has not yet responded to the reports, and UNIFIL has not commented on this latest incident, which came just 24 hours after two other peacekeepers were injured in a similar attack.

On Thursday, the Israeli army admitted firing near the UNIFIL base in Naqoura, slightly wounding two Indonesian peacekeepers. However, it accused the Lebanese group Hezbollah of operating near UN positions.

UNIFIL also reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire on a blue helmet position in Naqoura on Thursday, hitting the entrance to a bunker where international troops were sheltering. Several vehicles and a communications system were damaged in the attack.

“(Israeli) soldiers intentionally shot and disabled the position’s surveillance cameras. “They also deliberately fired at a UN post in Ras Naqoura, where regular trilateral meetings were held before the conflict began, damaging lighting and a relay station,” the mission noted.

The UN mission reminded Israel and all parties to the conflict of their obligation to ensure the security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times.

“UNIFIL peacekeepers are present in southern Lebanon to support the return to stability under a Security Council mandate,” the mission said.

The UN warned that any “deliberate attack on peacekeepers constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council resolutions.”

Ten days ago, Israel launched a series of ground operations in “limited” areas of Lebanese territory near the shared border, coinciding with an intensive bombing campaign in that region as well as in eastern Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut. EFE

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