Israeli troops opened fire on three positions of the UN mission in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours, according to Reuters citing a UN source. One of the locations attacked was the main base of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in the town of Naqoura, as confirmed by UNIFIL itself.
According to the press release from the United Nations mission, there were two injured, including two peacekeepers of Indonesian nationality, according to the Italian agency ANSA.
Spanish troops are present at the mission headquarters in Naqoura. At the moment, there is no evidence of injuries among Spanish peacekeepers, according to Spanish Defense Ministry sources.
Most of the Spanish contingent is located at the “Miguel de Cervantes” base, near the town of Marjayún.
The UN Mission in Lebanon itself issued a statement explaining: “The recent escalation along the Blue Line is causing widespread destruction of towns and villages in southern Lebanon, while rockets continue to be fired. launched towards Israel, including civilian areas. »
“In recent days,” explains the UN mission, “there have been Israeli incursions in Lebanon, Naqoura and other regions. Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers clashed with Hezbollah elements on the ground in Lebanon. “The UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura and nearby positions were hit several times.”
The statement added: “This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired on an observation tower of the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing it to fall. Fortunately, this time the injuries are not serious, but they remain hospitalized.
But this is not Israel’s only military action against the UN in Lebanon. “IDF soldiers also fired on UN Position (UNP) 1-31 in Labbouneh, hitting the entrance to the bunker where the peacekeepers were sheltering and damaging vehicles and a communications system,” UNIFIL explains: “An IDF drone was observed flying inside the UN position to the bunker entrance.
Furthermore, this Wednesday, “IDF soldiers deliberately shot at the surveillance cameras located on the perimeter of the position and rendered them unusable. They also deliberately fired on UNP 1-32A in Ras Naqoura, where tripartite meetings were regularly held before the start of the conflict, damaging lighting and a relay station.
The UN mission reminds “the Israeli army and all actors of their obligation to ensure the security of UN personnel and assets and to respect at all times the inviolability of UN premises. UNIFIL peacekeeping forces are present in southern Lebanon to support the return to stability under the mandate of the Security Council. Any deliberate attack against peacekeeping forces constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution 1701. “We are following up on these issues with the Israeli army. »
