The UN mission in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported this Saturday that one of its soldiers was shot and wounded at its headquarters in Naqoura, in the south of the country, bringing the number of injured peacekeepers to five over the last three days. UNIFIL assured that in this case it did not know the origin of the shots, although it attributed the rest of the incidents to the Israeli army.
The Israeli Defense Forces today also attacked two Lebanese villages with bombings that killed at least nine people and injured 28 others, while their offensive on Gaza left 19 more dead.
UNIFIL said in a statement that it had expanded in the surrounding area.
The mission has not yet clarified the nationality of the injured soldier, although it indicated that “he underwent surgery in our hospital in Naqoura to remove the bullet and is currently stable.” The statement added that UNIFIL buildings in the southern Lebanese town of Ramyah also suffered “significant damage due to explosions caused by nearby shelling.”
“We remind all actors of their obligations to ensure the security of United Nations personnel and installations, which includes avoiding combat activities near UNIFIL positions,” reiterated the mission, which has some 10,000 soldiers from several countries and is under the command of the UN. a Spanish general.
Biden asked Netanyahu not to attack UN headquarters in Lebanon
The Israeli attacks on the headquarters of the United Nations mission in Lebanon began hours after the first telephone conversation between United States President Joe Biden and his Israeli counterpart. It was the first meeting between the two men since August and, as the White House reported, Biden asked Netanyahu not to attack UNIFIL headquarters.
“Absolutely,” Biden said when asked if he had asked Israel to respect the United Nations mission. However, attacks have occurred. The United States and France had requested an immediate 21-day ceasefire just two weeks ago to try to end the risk of escalation in the region with an Israeli incursion into Lebanon.
Like previous calls for a pause in the conflict, this one too failed and the threat now stalks peacekeepers in Lebanon. The peace mission is present in the country in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel. The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas has thus extended beyond the border between Israel and Lebanon, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to put an end to the Shiite militia Hezbollah.
For three weeks, Israel has carried out a campaign of intense ground raids and bombardments against southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Beirut, which have caused the deaths of most of the more than 2,200 people who have lost their lives in Lebanon. since October 2023. The conflict worsens on October 1 with the ground invasion of the Israeli army in southern Lebanon, accompanied by an intensification of Israeli bombings in the neighboring country.
This Saturday, Israel bombed the villages of Barja, south of Beirut, and Maaysrah, north of the Lebanese capital. According to the victim toll provided by the country’s Ministry of Public Health, the first attack left an initial toll of four dead and fourteen injured, to which were added five dead and fourteen injured in the second location.
At least 19 dead in several Israeli attacks in Gaza
Last night’s Israeli bombardments on the Gaza Strip caused the deaths of at least 19 people in the Jabalia region, where thousands of people have taken refuge, according to Gaza health authorities. Reuters reported that Israel attacked the area by land and air while issuing new evacuation orders for Gazans.
Hamas, for its part, asked the population not to move towards the north of the Gaza Strip despite Israel’s requests and denounced the fact that “the occupying forces carry out bombardments and attacks every day. murders in the same areas that guarantee their security.” .”
