An Israeli tank fired at the headquarters of a UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, wounding two members of the force, the UN said on Thursday.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said an Israeli army tank directly hit a UN observation post in the small town of Naqoura.
These are the first casualties among the forces since Israel launched an offensive against pro-Iranian Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon last week.
UNIFIL said the peacekeepers were injured after an Israeli tank “directly” hit the tower, which collapsed.
“Fortunately, the injured are not serious, but they are still in the hospital,” said the statement.
UNIFIL said its main base in Naqoura and other nearby positions were “hit repeatedly” during the fighting. Another Israeli attack hit the gate of a basement where UN troops were seeking shelter. UN vehicles and the communications system were also damaged.
The army of Israel ‘checks’ reports
The Israeli military said it was looking into reports that UNIFIL would be in danger.
The Israeli military accuses Hezbollah of abusing areas near UNIFIL bases for its own purposes. Israeli troops have therefore been deployed in the Naqoura area, near the UNIFIL base, the army said on Thursday.
Those claims could not be independently verified.
The UN mission has been monitoring the border area between Lebanon and Israel for decades. More than 10,000 UN troops from more than 50 countries are involved. Most UN troops come from Indonesia, Italy and India. This operation includes soldiers from Germany.
Naqoura is on the Mediterranean coast and is the first urban center of significant size in Lebanon along the demarcation line with Israel.
The UNIFIL mission has its headquarters here. This and the area around it “were hit repeatedly,” a UNIFIL spokesman said.
The two UN soldiers were not seriously injured, but were in hospital after the attack. Another Israeli attack also hit the door of a dormitory where UN soldiers sought shelter. UN vehicles and the communications system were also damaged.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the shooting.
“Another line has been accidentally crossed in Lebanon: The IDF is being bombed by notorious @UN peacekeepers,” Borrell told X.
“We condemn this unacceptable, baseless action,” he added.
Lebanon says 22 people died in Israeli strikes in Beirut
At least 22 people were killed and 48 others were injured in Israeli strikes on Thursday in Beirut, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported. The number of injured people reached 117 on Thursday evening.
The Lebanese news agency NNA reported that there were two airstrikes in central Beirut. The first was aimed at an eight-story building in al-Nuwairi, a densely populated district.
The second attack targeted a four-story building in the nearby al-Basta neighborhood, and the building completely collapsed as a result, NNA said.
Thursday’s attack was the third attack in central Beirut since Israel launched a military operation in Lebanon last month targeting Iranian forces allied with Hezbollah, sparking fears of regional war.
A resident of al-Nuwairi told dpa, “We heard two large explosions and suddenly everything was on fire and the cries of the wounded could be heard.”
Residents of the area who were furious prevented local and foreign journalists who arrived at the scene following the strikes from approaching the buildings.
Hezbollah and the Israeli ground forces are fighting each other
Israel’s military said it killed several Hezbollah members near southern Lebanon on Thursday, as it continued to raid the neighboring country.
The army said its troops also destroyed hundreds of military weapons, including anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades that were used to target communities across the Israeli border.
Israel also said overnight raids hit Hezbollah ammunition depots in the Beirut area, and two of the group’s fighters were killed in southern Lebanon.
In total, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday morning that 110 Hezbollah targets had been hit in the previous day.
According to security sources in Lebanon, Israeli ground forces captured a Hezbollah base near Maroun al-Ras a few days ago. State security sources in Lebanon also said that Israeli military vehicles were seen near UN troops stationed near Maroun al-Ras.
Information from the front line could not be confirmed.
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