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Diplomatic efforts for ceasefire ‘intensified’ ahead of UN meeting: Mikati
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said diplomatic communications to achieve a ceasefire have “intensified in recent hours” ahead of a UN Security Council meeting.
“There are contacts taking place between the United States and France with the aim of reviving a ceasefire declaration for a specific period in order to resume the search for political solutions,” he is quoted as saying by the official X account of the Lebanese parliament.
“We also stressed the priority of stopping the Israeli aggression that is causing a large number of martyrs and wounded and does not spare civilians, ambulances and relief personnel, and this is a matter that violates all international laws and regulations,” he said, adding that the government is ready to implement Resolution 1701 that was adopted after the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
Israeli soldiers open fire at UN peacekeeper positions in southern Lebanon: Report
A UN source has told Reuters that Israeli soldiers opened fire at three positions held by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
The source did not specify the type of fire and said one of the attacked sites was UNIFIL’s main base in Naqoura.
Earlier this week, UNIFIL refused a request from the Israeli military to vacate bases near the border. The area has been a demilitarised zone since the end of the war in 2006.
Two UNIFIL peacekeepers injured in Lebanon: Source
A source in UNIFIL forces has told Al Jazeera that two peacekeepers were slightly wounded in the Israeli shelling of a UNIFIL site on Lebanon’s southern border.
The source added that Israeli forces hit a UNIFIL guard tower at the headquarters in the Naqoura area, injuring two soldiers.
UN peacekeeping bases designed to be highly visible
What we’re hearing from UNIFIL sources is that there was an attack against their base. Israeli soldiers opened fire at three positions held by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
They told us two of the solders were slightly injured in the Israeli bombardments, one of those took place in Naqoura.
But these bases are all over southern Lebanon… these are high profile bases, they are designed like that. The UN peacekeepers drive around in white military vehicles, they wear blue hats, they are designed to be high visibility.
There is no way the Israelis didn’t know what they were shooting on. This is a very worrying development for the United Nations.
Emergency rescuers face increasing Israeli attacks in south Lebanon
Israel’s air force continues bombarding Lebanon, killing five paramedics recently. We’ve been speaking to several medics who tell us they feel they’re being targeted.
More than 100 medical staff have been killed since October 8 last year, and that number is increasing now. Rescuers say the Israelis know where they are. “We are clearly marked, we’re the first responders, and we’re being targeted.”
This latest is a very serious attack on the Lebanese emergency services, they say.
About 40 front-line medical centres have had to shut down because the Israeli bombing has come too close to the hospitals or the clinics for the staff to feel safe. This is an extremely worrying development for the Lebanese emergency sector.
