New Israeli Attack Injures UN Peacekeepers in South Lebanon

On Friday, Lebanon condemned an Israeli attack that reportedly injured United Nations peacekeepers in the country’s south, marking the second such incident in two days, according to state media.

In an official statement, Lebanon’s foreign ministry denounced “the targeting by the Israeli army” of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The statement said the attack hit “watchtowers, the main UNIFIL base in Ras Naqoura, and the Sri Lankan battalion’s base, causing several injuries.”

The National News Agency reported that an Israeli “Merkava tank” fired at one of UNIFIL’s observation towers on the road between Tyre and Naqoura, wounding personnel from the Sri Lankan battalion. The report added that Israeli forces also “fired an artillery shell at the entrance of the UNIFIL command center in Naqoura, damaging the entrance.”

Later in the day, UNIFIL confirmed that its Naqoura headquarters had been “affected by explosions for the second time in 48 hours.” The statement revealed that two peacekeepers were injured when explosions occurred near an observation tower. One was taken to a hospital in Tyre, while the other was treated on-site in Naqoura.

UNIFIL also reported an incident where several T-walls at their position in Labbouneh collapsed after an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) caterpillar hit the perimeter, with IDF tanks moving close to the U.N. position. Despite the incident, UNIFIL peacekeepers remained at the location, and a Quick Reaction Force was sent to assist.

UNIFIL emphasized that these incidents put peacekeepers serving under U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) at serious risk, warning that any deliberate attack on peacekeepers constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law. The force reiterated that the safety and security of U.N. personnel must be upheld and that U.N. premises should always be respected.

On Thursday, two UNIFIL peacekeepers were injured in an earlier Israeli attack on their headquarters. Israel acknowledged that its forces opened fire in the area, claiming Hezbollah militants were operating near U.N. posts. UNIFIL, which has about 10,000 peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, has been calling for a ceasefire since September 23, following nearly a year of cross-border conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The injured peacekeepers from Thursday’s attack, both from Indonesia, are still receiving treatment, though their injuries were not life-threatening.