UNIFIL says Israeli forces fired at its position in southern Lebanon
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has accused Israeli forces of opening fire with small-calibre weapons at one of its positions in the southern Lebanese town of Kfarchouba.
The shots, fired from a Merkava tank, hit a UNIFIL sentry post near the border and penetrated UNIFIL living quarters, without causing casualties, said the peacekeeping force.
UNIFIL called on the Israeli military to “ensure the safety of peacekeepers and to cease activities that endanger them and their positions”. Israeli forces have repeatedly carried out attacks near UNIFIL positions in recent months, including dropping grenades near UNIFIL forces in September.
The UN Security Council decided in August to end UNIFIL’s mandate on December 31, 2026, followed by a one-year plan for a phased drawdown of forces.
EU urges Israel to stop advancing illegal E1 settlement plan
The European Union (EU) has urged Israel to discontinue its E1 settlement project, which aims to link thousands of illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem to the expanding Maale Adumim settlement bloc in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement, the EU’s diplomatic service said recent Israeli moves to advance the project, including to build a bypass road that would restrict Palestinians’ access to key areas of the occupied West Bank, are a “serious provocation”.
“We call on Israel to halt the E1 settlement project,” said the statement, before condemning Israel’s broader settlement activity, which it said has been accelerating for months and is illegal.
EU has been urging Israel forever, virtue signalling while still supporting the settlements and Israel in general.
