An Israeli tank fired at the headquarters of the 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 force since Israel’s ground offensive against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon began last week.
UNIFIL said the peacekeepers were injured after an Israeli tank “directly” hit the watchtower, causing the two to fall.
“Fortunately the injuries are not serious this time, but they remain in hospital,” the statement said.
UNIFIL said its main base in Naqoura and other nearby positions had been “repeatedly hit” during the fighting. Another Israeli attack hit the entrance to a bunker where UN soldiers had taken refuge. UN vehicles and a communications system were also damaged.
Israeli army ‘check’ reports
The Israeli military said it is verifying reports that UNIFIL is under fire.
The Israeli army accuses Hezbollah of abusing areas near UNIFIL bases for its own purposes. The Israeli army was therefore deployed to the Naqoura area, near the UNIFIL base, the army said on Thursday.
These 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 soldiers from more than 50 countries are involved. Many of the UN troops come from Indonesia, Italy and India. The mission involves troops from Germany.
Located on the Mediterranean coast, Naqoura is the first urban center of significant size in Lebanon, close to the demarcation line with Israel.
The UNIFIL mission has its headquarters here. This area and the surrounding area have been “repeatedly affected”, the UNIFIL spokesperson said.
The two UN soldiers were not seriously injured, but were hospitalized after the attack. Another Israeli attack also hit the entrance to a bunker where UN soldiers had taken refuge. UN vehicles and a communications system were also damaged.
Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief, condemned the shelling.
“A new border has been dangerously crossed in Lebanon: IDF is shelling @UN peacekeepers whose positions are known,” Borrell said on X.
“We condemn this intolerable act, for which there is no justification,” he added.
Lebanon says 22 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Beirut
At least 22 people were killed and 48 others injured in Israeli attacks in Beirut on Thursday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The number of injured was 117 on Thursday evening.
The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported two airstrikes in central Beirut. The first targeted an eight-story building in al-Nuwairi, a busy neighborhood.
The second attack targeted a four-story building in the nearby al-Basta area, causing the building to completely collapse, NNA added.
Thursday’s attacks were the third to hit central Beirut since Israel began a military campaign in Lebanon last month against the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia, raising fears of an all-out regional war.
A resident of al-Nuwairi told dpa: “We heard two loud bangs and suddenly everything was on fire and the screams of the injured were heard.”
Angry residents of the area prevented local and foreign journalists arriving after the strikes from approaching the buildings.
Hezbollah and Israeli ground forces are involved in direct clashes
The Israeli army said it had killed several Hezbollah members at close range in southern Lebanon on Thursday as it continued a major incursion into the neighboring country.
The army said its soldiers had also destroyed hundreds of militia weapons, including anti-tank missiles and rocket launchers that had been used to attack communities across the border in Israel.
Israel also said overnight attacks hit Hezbollah ammunition depots on the outskirts of Beirut, killing two commanders of the militant group in southern Lebanon.
In total, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday morning that 110 Hezbollah targets had been hit in the past day.
According to security sources in Lebanon, Israeli ground forces captured a Hezbollah military post near Maroun al-Ras a few days ago. State security sources in Lebanon also said that Israeli military vehicles had been sighted near the UN soldiers stationed near Maroun al-Ras.
The information from the front lines of the fighting could not be verified.
