The UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon said Israeli tanks forced their way into one of its strongholds after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the UN to evacuate troops from the area. Announced.
The incident is the latest in a series of violations and attacks by Israeli forces against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in recent days, and comes as Israel expands its shelling and ground attacks on Lebanon.
UNIFIL said in a statement on Sunday that two Israeli tanks “destroyed the main gate of the position and forcibly entered the position.”
Shortly after the tanks departed, a shell exploded 100 meters (328 feet) away, releasing smoke that spread throughout the base, sickening a United Nations staff member, and killing 15 people despite wearing gas masks. UNIFIL announced that he required treatment. It did not say who fired the shell or what kind of toxic substance was suspected.
The Israeli military said in an incident report that fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli troops, injuring 25 people. The attack was so close to the UNIFIL garrison that tanks assisting in the evacuation of the wounded following artillery fire retreated into the UNIFIL garrison.
“We are not storming the base. We are not trying to enter the base. The tanks came under heavy shelling and suffered heavy casualties, so we retreated to avoid danger,” military international spokesman Nadav said. Shoshani told reporters.
The military said in a statement that it used smoke bombs to protect the evacuation of wounded soldiers, but that its actions posed no danger to U.N. peacekeepers.
The incident came hours before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the United Nations to evacuate peacekeepers from Lebanon’s war zones.
“The time has come to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and combat zones,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The Israeli military has “repeatedly requested this but has been met with repeated refusals, thereby providing a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists,” Netanyahu added.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned Netanyahu’s demands.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s… warning to Mr. Guterres demanding the removal of UNIFIL represents a new chapter in the enemy’s approach of non-compliance with international (norms),” he said.
Hezbollah denies Israeli accusations that it uses the peacekeepers’ approach to protect its fighters.
Ray Murphy, a former UNIFIL peacekeeper, told Al Jazeera: “The use of tanks, firing in and around UN camps, and recklessly endangering UN personnel are deliberate and violent acts by Israeli forces. ” he said.
“This can never be blamed on Hezbollah. It is the Israeli military’s decision to target UN forces and UN posts.”
Murphy pointed out that UN peacekeepers are protected under international humanitarian law.
“They are not playing a military role. They are playing a peace role. They are observing, reporting and trying to provide humanitarian assistance. There’s no validity to that,” Murphy said.
Danny Danon, Israel’s special envoy to the UN, said: “The UN’s insistence on keeping UNIFIL soldiers in its line of fire is incomprehensible.”
UNIFIL was established in 1978 to monitor southern Lebanon. Conflict has continued in the region ever since, including Israel’s invasion in 1982, occupation of southern Lebanon until 2000, and a five-week war with Hezbollah in 2006.
Starting in October 2023, Israel and Hezbollah began an almost daily gunfight after Israel continued its attack on Gaza. More than 2,100 people have been killed in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, most in the past few weeks after Israel escalated its attacks, and more than 1.2 million people have been forced to flee, Lebanese authorities say. .
Attack on UN peacekeeping forces
Five peacekeepers have been injured in a series of attacks on peacekeepers and personnel in recent days, with UNIFIL claiming most of the attacks were carried out by Israeli forces.
On Thursday, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the UN Security Council that “the safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly at risk.” He said they remained in place, but operations had virtually ceased since September 23, and peacekeepers were confined within the base. As many as 300 people were temporarily relocated to a larger base.
The United States and European countries have called on Israeli forces to stop firing at peacekeepers. On Friday, US President Joe Biden said he was directing Israel to “absolutely and aggressively” stop.
On Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, usually the most vocal supporter of Israel among Western European leaders, also told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “It is acceptable for UNIFIL to be attacked by Israeli forces,” according to an Italian government statement. I can’t do it,” he said repeatedly.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday’s X broadcast that he had conveyed to Meloni that he regretted “any harm inflicted on UNIFIL personnel” in Lebanon.
“Israel will make every effort to prevent UNIFIL casualties and do whatever it takes to win the war,” Netanyahu said.
