UN force says HQ struck as Hezbollah claims attacks on Israeli troops in Naqoura
The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced Monday that its headquarters in Naqoura had been hit by a projectile, probably launched by a "non-state actor", after Hezbollah declared it had targeted Israeli forces in the same town.
Since Saturday, the coastal town in Lebanon's far south on the border with Israel, has been one of the flashpoints between Hezbollah and the Israeli army.
"Just before noon today, a projectile hit a building inside our headquarters," UNIFIL said in a statement.
"Peacekeepers with expertise in explosive ordinance disposal are working to deal with it. We believe it was fired by a non-state actor."
UNIFIL's statement came after Hezbollah claimed at least two attacks on Monday against Israeli forces in Naqoura.
The first, at 11:00 am, targeted "a gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Naqoura municipality building". and the second, at 1:00 pm, targeted a similar gathering "near the Naqoura school".
After a November 2024 ceasefire to end a previous war with Hezbollah, Israel kept forces in five positions, including the village of Labbouneh, just three kilometers away from Naqoura.
On Saturday, Hezbollah said its fighters had targeted Israeli soldiers along the border, including in Naqoura.
In its Monday statement, UNIFIL said it had observed over the past 48 hours "intense gunfire and explosions" in and around Naqoura, close to its headquarters.
"Bullets, fragments, and shrapnel have hit buildings and open areas inside our headquarters, putting peacekeepers at risk."
The force reminded "all actors of their responsibility to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers".
"We reiterate that there is no military solution to this conflict and urge the actors to put down their weapons and commit to working toward a long-term solution, before more people get hurt."
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://test.naharnet.com/stories/en/319127 |