Israel targets UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, second raid in days

Two peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured after two blasts occurred close to an observation tower, the UN mission said in a statement on Friday.

“This is a serious development, and UNIFIL reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times,” it added.

“Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law.”

One of the injured peacekeepers was taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Tyre, while the other was treated at the site.

The organisation also noted “several T-walls at our UN position 1-31, near the Blue Line in Labbouneh, fell when an [Israeli military] caterpillar hit the perimeter and [Israeli] tanks moved in the proximity of the UN position”, referring to the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon.

“Our peacekeepers remained at the location”, it said, adding that additional peacekeepers were sent to reinforce the position.

The Israeli military announced in a statement it is conducting a thorough review of the incident where two peacekeepers were “inadvertently” hurt in southern Lebanon. It later said two personnel with the UN peacekeeping mission were wounded when Israeli forces responded to a threat.

It added it had instructed UNIFIL personnel to go to protected areas and remain there hours before the incident.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier said the attacks were on watchtowers and the main UNIFIL base in Naqoura and on the Sri Lankan battalion’s base.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that artillery shelling from an Israeli Merkava tank wounded members of the Sri Lankan battalion, without specifying their exact location.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said it was “very clear that this incident is intolerable and cannot be repeated”.

Human Rights Watch called for a UN inquiry into the attacks and said the deliberate targeting of UN missions is a “war crime”.

“UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon have long played a critical civilian protection and humanitarian role,” stated Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at the New York-based rights group.

“Any targeting of UN peacekeepers by Israeli forces violates the laws of war and dangerously interferes with UNIFIL’s civilian protection and aid work.”

Friday’s incident comes a day after UN peacekeepers said the Israeli military “repeatedly” fired at UNIFIL headquarters and positions in southern Lebanon.

Two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured on Thursday and remained in hospital, the mission said.

UNIFIL personnel wear blue helmets to be clearly identifiable and their position is known to the Israeli military.

Israel acknowledged its forces had opened fire in the area, saying the Hezbollah fighters on whom it is waging war operate near UN posts.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told Al Jazeera the attack was a “very serious” development.

He explained that Israel had previously asked the peacekeepers to move from “certain positions” near the border, but “we decided to stay because it’s important for the UN flag to fly in [the] south of Lebanon.

“At the moment, we are staying, we are trying to do whatever we can to monitor [and] to provide assistance,” Tenenti added.