Biden joins call to stop attack on UN peacekeepers – Firstpost

US President Joe Biden has joined world leaders in urging Israel to halt its attacks on UN peacekeepers as the country continues its campaign in Lebanon in the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah, following a 48-hour closure two incidents had occurred. Biden said he was “absolutely positive” urging Israel to stop shooting at U.N. peacekeepers, the BBC reported.

This came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged that its troops were responsible for an incident in which two Sri Lankan soldiers serving with the UN Transitional Force in Lebanon (Unifil) were injured. The IDF investigated the incident and said its soldiers fired when they detected a threat near the Unifil base in Naqoura and they were conducting a “high-level” investigation.

Earlier, on Thursday, two Indonesian soldiers from the Unifil force were injured when they fell from an observation tower that was hit by fire from an Israeli tank.

Biden’s call to stop attacks on U.N. peacekeepers also followed appeals from leaders of France, Italy and Spain, who issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s actions as unjustified and calling for an immediate end to the attacks.

The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the IDF’s actions, which resulted in injuries to its soldiers.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, head of U.N. peacekeeping, also noted that there was evidence that some shots directly targeted U.N. positions, although he did not assign responsibility for the incidents.

As hostilities between the IDF and Hezbollah continue, the IDF reported on Friday that it had discovered about 100 rockets fired from Lebanon into northern Israel in a short period of time.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that three people, including a two-year-old girl, were killed in an Israeli raid on the city of Sidon, while two Lebanese soldiers died when Israeli forces attacked an army post in Kafra.

In Beirut, rescue workers are still searching the rubble of buildings damaged by two Israeli airstrikes on Thursday that killed 22 civilians and injured 117, according to Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, without Israel commenting.

There have been almost daily exchanges of fire since the IDF and Hezbollah launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon last month in response to Hezbollah rocket fire.

The IDF clarified that the UN post attacked in Naqoura was approximately 164 feet from the identified threat and that at that time they had directed peacekeepers to remain in protected areas.

Unifil reported that Israeli military vehicles also knocked over barriers at another U.N. site in Labbouneh, a situation it called a “serious development.” Mikati condemned the latest attack as “a crime directed against the international community.”

About 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 countries are stationed in Lebanon to help maintain stability in the region. Israel claims Unifil has failed to achieve this goal.

On the other hand, the Israeli UN ambassador again demanded that Unifil personnel retreat five kilometers to the north to avoid danger. However, UN officials said the forces would remain in their positions.

The situation in Lebanon remains critical as the IDF escalates its military campaign against Hezbollah. It has stepped up airstrikes in southern Lebanon, claiming they have killed key members of the group.

Likewise, the situation in Gaza is drawing global attention as the US repeatedly urges Israel to allow humanitarian workers to enter and work freely. Meanwhile, in Gaza, reports suggest that at least 30 people were killed in Israeli strikes in Jabalia.