Peacekeepers’ safety in Lebanon ‘in jeopardy,’ UN official warns after Israeli fire injures two
By Niamh Kennedy, Saskya Vandoorne, Lauren Izso and Mostafa Salem, CNN
(CNN) — Concerns are mounting for the safety of United Nations peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon amid Israel’s ground incursion, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned on Thursday, after Israeli fire resulted in the injury of two UN troops.
Briefing the UN Security Council on Thursday, UN Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations Lacroix described hostilities between Israeli forces and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon as “increasingly alarming,” and putting “peacekeepers at serious risk.”
“The safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly in jeopardy,” Lacroix said.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported early Thursday that the peacekeepers were injured after an Israeli tank fired toward an observation tower at its headquarters in the southern Lebanese city Naqoura.
The Israeli tank fire directly hit the tower, causing the peacekeepers to fall, UNIFIL said, adding that other “nearby positions have been repeatedly hit.”
UNFIL said that “any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have accused Hezbollah of operating in areas near UNIFIL posts, and said in a statement that it had asked UNIFIL forces to “remain in protected spaces” during the incident.
“The IDF is operating in southern Lebanon and maintains routine communication with UNIFIL,” the IDF said in a statement after Thursday’s incident.
“This morning (Thursday), IDF troops operated in the area of Naqoura, next to a UNIFIL base. Accordingly, the IDF instructed the UN forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, following which the forces opened fire in the area,” the statement added.
UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said the two peacekeepers – both Indonesian – were hospitalized. Their injuries are not serious, he said.
UN peacekeepers have been stationed in southern Lebanon since 2006, per a mandate by the United Nations Security Council. UN peacekeepers were drawn from armies of several nations to monitor the situation along the roughly 120-kilometer (74-mile) Blue Line which separates the two states.
The incident came as Israel expands its strikes across Lebanon. On Thursday, Israeli strikes on a densely populated Beirut neighborhood killed at least 22 people and wounded 117, the Lebanese health ministry said.
A senior Hezbollah official was the target of the attack, according to a source in the militant group and Israeli media reports. Wafiq Safa, leader of Hezbollah’s liaison unit, survived the assassination attempt, the Hezbollah source told CNN. Israel has not publicly claimed Thursday’s strikes or confirmed any targets.
International outcry
The injury of the UN peacekeepers drew condemnation from several countries including Italy, France, and Ireland, who all have contingents in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni summoned the Israeli ambassador in Rome on Thursday after what she described as “unacceptable” behavior by the Israeli forces.
Meloni’s office said two Italian bases of UNIFIL were “hit by gunfire from the Israeli army” on Thursday and added that the prime minister spoke to the Commander of the Western Sector of the UNIFIL mission, Gen. Stefano Messina, for an update on the safety of the Italian troops.
The Italian leader also contacted Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to “firmly remind” him that “what is happening near the Italian UNIFIL bases in southern Lebanon” is “unacceptable,” according to an Italian government statement.
Indonesia’s mission to the UN blasted Israel over what it called “deliberate attacks,” saying Friday that Israel’s actions “represent a blatant attempt to spread terror on the ground to intimidate both the peacekeeping mission and international community.”
France also expressed “deep concern” after the attack, saying it was “awaiting explanations from the Israeli authorities.”
“The protection of peacekeepers is an obligation imposed on all parties to a conflict. France calls on the parties to respect this obligation, and to allow UNIFIL to continue to implement its mandate, including by respecting its freedom of movement,” a spokesperson for the French foreign ministry said.
Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin described the IDF’s “targeting & firing on UNIFIL positions” as “reprehensible” and “unacceptable.”
Earlier this week, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris also expressed concern after Israeli tanks were stationed close to an UN outpost manned by Irish peacekeepers.
The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell condemned what he called an “inadmissible act,” posting to X: “Another line has been dangerously crossed in Lebanon: IDF shelling of UN peacekeepers whose positions are known. We condemn this inadmissible act, for which there is no justification.”
The EU foreign policy chief reiterated his support for UNIFIL and called for full accountability regarding the incident.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Charbel Mallo, Ben Wedeman, Eyad Kourdi, Tamara Qiblawi and Sharon Braithwaite contributed reporting.
