UNIFIL says peacekeepers hurt amid many Israeli attacks on its posts
The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Thursday two of its members were wounded when its positions came under fire in the country’s south, where Israel and Hezbollah are fighting.
"Three positions were hit by fire and two peacekeepers were injured," a UNIFIL spokeswoman said, after Lebanon’s official National News Agency said a watchtower of the peacekeeping force was hit in the Ras Naqoura area.
"UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters and nearby positions have been repeatedly hit. This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF (Israeli army) Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall,” the spokeswoman said.
Israeli soldiers also fired on “U.N. position (UNP) 1-31 in Ras Naqoura, hitting the entrance to the bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, and damaging vehicles and a communications system. An IDF drone was observed flying inside the U.N. position up to the bunker entrance,” the statement added.
Moreover, on Wednesday, Israeli soldiers “deliberately fired at and disabled the position’s perimeter-monitoring cameras. They also deliberately fired on UNP 1-32A, where regular Tripartite meetings were held before the conflict began, damaging lighting and a relay station,” the UNIFIL spokeswoman said.
She added: “We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of U.N. personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of U.N. premises at all times. UNIFIL peacekeepers are present in south Lebanon to support a return to stability under Security Council mandate. Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Security Council resolution 1701. We are following up with the IDF on these matters.”
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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