The bombing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) positions was an accident, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in an interview with Welt.
“It was an accident. “It is not our policy to attack UNIFIL.” – said.
The minister stressed that the Israeli side is “working to resolve the problem.” The Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Foreign Ministry, he said, are negotiating with UNIFIL to resolve this issue, as the UN peacekeepers do not want to abandon their positions.
The previous day, UNIFIL reported shelling of its positions by Israeli forces in the Kafr Kila border area in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL said an Israeli Merkava tank hit a Blue Helmet observation tower and disabled its equipment, including video cameras.
The peacekeepers present at the scene were not injured, but the observation tower was damaged.
“We believe that this bombing of peacekeeper positions was deliberate,” – said UNIFIL.
On October 10, it reported that two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired on an observation tower at the mission’s headquarters in Naqurah. The Israeli army also opened fire on UN positions in Labun, damaging the entrance to the bunker where peacekeepers were hiding. On 11 October, a peacekeeper was wounded in Naqura during firefights near the position.
On October 13, two Merkava tanks destroyed the main gate and “forced entry” into UN positions in southern Lebanon.
“They asked several times for the lights to be turned off at the base.” – said UNIFIL. The tanks left about 45 minutes after the UN forces protested. The peacekeepers subsequently suffered smoke inhalation due to several attacks in the surrounding area.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UN to withdraw its peacekeepers from the combat zone in southern Lebanon and “from Hezbollah strongholds, as they represent a “human shield” and “hostages” of Hezbollah, RBC recalls.
“This puts them and the lives of our soldiers at risk.” – Netanyahu said.
