UN peacekeepers say Israeli forces shoot at them in southern Lebanon
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says Israeli soldiers have fired at its peacekeepers from a tank near an army position in southern Lebanon.
In a statement, UNIFIL said the Israeli military “fired on UNIFIL peacekeepers from a Merkava tank from near a position Israel has established in Lebanese territory”.
It said heavy-machinegun rounds struck about 5 metres (5.5 yards) from the peacekeepers’ location.
In September, UNIFIL said Israeli drones had dropped four grenades close to its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon with one landing within 20 metres (22 yards) of UN personnel and vehicles.
Israel says its soldiers fired on UN peacekeepers due to ‘poor weather conditions’
Israel says its soldiers who fired at UNIFIL peacekeepers from a tank near an army position in southern Lebanon did so due to “poor weather conditions” and mistook the UN patrol for “suspects”.
UNIFIL said the Israeli army fired on its peacekeepers this morning “from a Merkava tank from near a position Israel has established in Lebanese territory”.
In a statement, the Israeli army said “two suspects were identified in the Hammis area in southern Lebanon”, “the forces fired shots to disperse them and the suspects fled, without any casualties.”
“After an investigation, it emerged that the suspects were UN soldiers who were patrolling the area and were classified as suspects due to poor weather conditions. The incident is being investigated.”
Lebanese army condemns Israeli attack near UN peacekeepers
Lebanon’s army has condemned an attack by Israeli forces that nearly struck UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon, calling it a “dangerous escalation”.
In a statement carried by the National News Agency, Lebanon’s army said the targeting of the UNIFIL patrol was the latest in a string of “violations of Lebanese sovereignty, causing instability in Lebanon and hindering the completion of the army’s deployment in the south”.
It said that the army command was “working in coordination with friendly countries to put an end to the ongoing violations and breaches by the Israeli enemy, which require immediate action as they represent a dangerous escalation”.
