- Israeli tanks breached a UNIFIL post in southern Lebanon
- UNIFIL condemned the act as a violation of international law
- Tensions escalate amid clashes with Hezbollah near the border
The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon claims Israeli tanks stormed one of its positions early Sunday morning.
According to a statement from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), two Israel Defence Forces (IDF) tanks damaged the main gate of a station in Ramyah, near the Israeli border, and “forcibly entered the position” to request that its lights be turned off.
About two hours later, it was reported that shots were fired close, causing smoke to infiltrate the camp and causing 15 peacekeepers to experience skin irritations and gastrointestinal issues.
The IDF provided a different account of events, claiming that it had infringed on a Unifil position to rescue soldiers injured by an anti-tank missile.
It stated that two soldiers were “seriously injured” in the attack, while others sustained minor injuries.
Two tanks drove rearward a few meters towards the Unifil position to evacuate the wounded, as they were unable to proceed otherwise due to the threat of firing, according to the IDF.
It also stated that a shot was fired during the event to aid in the evacuation and that it had “maintained continuous contact” with Unifil, emphasizing that there was “no threat to the Unifil force from IDF activities.”
The incident is the latest in a string of clashes between Unifil and Israeli police.
Israel has repeatedly pushed the peacekeeping force to evacuate from regions of southern Lebanon where fighting was taking place after it launched a ground operation on September 30 to target the armed group Hezbollah.
In a video message posted by his office on Sunday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Unifil to “immediately” pull its personnel “out of harm’s way,” stating that their presence in the region had made them “hostages of Hezbollah.
Unifil has thus far refused these requests.
Israel has received international condemnation for prior incidents in which Unifil troops were injured in southern Lebanon, with the IDF acknowledging culpability for firing on UN installations in several cases.
Unifil stated: For the fourth occasion in as many days, we remind the IDF and other players of their responsibility to protect the safety and security of UN people and property and to uphold the inviolability of UN facilities at all times.
It denounced the breach of its post in Ramyah as “a further flagrant violation of international law.”
Unifil stated that on Saturday, Israeli troops prevented them from carrying out a “critical” logistical transfer near Meiss El Jebel, also near the border.
The IDF has yet to comment on the event.
Since last October, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas struck villages in southern Israel, Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged cross-border fire regularly.
Nearly 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 countries are stationed in Lebanon, along with approximately 800 civilian staff.
Since 1978, they have patrolled the area between the Litani River and the UN-recognized “Blue Line” border between Lebanon and Israel.
Israel has requested that Unifil remove 5 kilometers (3 miles) north.
Before Sunday’s incidents, five peacekeepers had been injured in previous days.
Unifil said on Saturday that a soldier was shot at its headquarters in Naquora, although it did not know where the gunshot came from.
The day prior, the IDF claimed responsibility for an incident that injured two Unifil troops from Sri Lanka.
On Thursday, two Indonesian Unifil troops were hurt when they fell from an observation tower after an Israeli tank fired on it.
Several Israeli allies, including France, Italy, and Spain, condemned the occurrences. According to a Downing Street spokeswoman, the UK is “appalled.
Netanyahu suggested Sunday that European leaders should criticize Hezbollah rather than Israel.
Israel claims Unifil has failed to stabilize the region and prevent Hezbollah fighters from operating south of the Litani River, which is one of the reasons for the UN deployment there.
It has previously stated that it was operating by a 2004 United Nations resolution asking for the disbandment of both Lebanese and non-Lebanese terrorist groups and that its request for peacekeepers to depart was to battle Hezbollah.
Netanyahu stated that these appeals had been “met with refusals” and that Unifil was providing a “human shield to Hezbollah terrorists.”
This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers, he said.
“We regret the injuries to Unifil soldiers and are doing everything in our ability to prevent them. However, the most obvious approach to do this is to simply move them out of the danger zone.”
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Unifil leaders have consistently refused to evacuate troops from the region.
The body’s spokesman, Andrea Tenenti, told the AFP news agency on Saturday that there had been a consensual decision to stay since the UN flag must continue to fly high in this region.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Nijab Mikati, denounced Netanyahu’s position.
In a statement, he claimed the Israeli prime minister’s remarks marked a new chapter in the enemy’s refusal to comply with international legitimacy.
Mikati asked other nations to “take a firm stance that stops the Israeli aggression.”
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