The UN peacekeeping force in Southern Lebanon has reported that its headquarters in Naqoura, a town in southern Lebanon, was affected by explosions a second time within 48 hours.
In a press release, the UN force known as Unifil said that the explosions occurred near an observation tower.
Two Indonesian soldiers were injured Thursday after an Israeli tank fired at an observation tower, causing them to fall from the tower.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the attack. He said before the latest incident, that it is “intolerable” and cannot be repeated.
Last month, Israeli ground forces launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon as they escalated the response to rocket fire by the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has been firing on Israel almost daily since last October when Hamas, the Palestinian armed group, attacked southern Israel.
Unifil’s Friday statement said that one of the injured peacekeepers is being treated at a hospital in Tyre, while the other is being treated in Naqoura.
The force also reported that Israeli military vehicles had knocked down barriers at another Unifil location in Labbouneh near the border with Israel.
Unifil said that this was a serious development. “Unifil reiterates the need to ensure the safety and security for UN personnel and property, and that the inviolability and integrity of UN premises are always respected.”
The Israel Defense Forces has not yet publicly commented on the Friday’s incident.
Najib Mikati, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, said that Friday’s attack is “a crime directed against the international community“.
“Targeting United Nations security forces violates their sanctity,” said he.
The UK government expressed “appalled” at reports of attacks against UN positions.
A Downing Street spokesperson told journalists on Friday: “It’s vital that peacekeepers, civilians and civilians be protected.”
Unifil reported that on Thursday, an IDF Merkava tank had fired at an observatory at its Naqoura headquarters. It said that two peacekeepers were hospitalized with minor injuries.
Unifil acknowledged that there were clashes in the area between Israel and Hezbollah, but it called attacks against peacekeepers “a grave violation of international law”.
The IDF claimed it had fired on the base after ordering staff to remain in “protected areas”.
Unifil’s statement on Thursday said that its positions in southern Lebanon were “repeatedly” hit during the fighting. It highlighted an incident where IDF soldiers shot at one of its positions near the Israeli border in Labbouneh. “They hit the entrance to the shelter where peacekeepers were hiding, and damaged vehicles and a communication system.”
UN Security Council chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the UN Security Council the peacekeepers are increasingly at risk.
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to UN, reiterated that his country’s request for Unifil personnel northward by 5km (3miles) in order to “avoid dangerous situations” – however, Mr Lacroix stated they would remain in their position in accordance with their UN mandate.
According to Reuters, Mr Danon stated that Israel was “fulfilling its obligation” under a 2004 UN Resolution calling for the disbandment of militant groups in Lebanon and elsewhere.
He also called on the Lebanon’s armed force to be deployed in the south to “do their job”.
Around 800 civil staff and 10,000 peacekeepers are stationed at the Lebanon.
Since 1978, they patrol the area between the Litani River ad the UN-recognised border between Lebanon and Israel known as the “Blue Line”.
Hezbollah started firing rockets at northern Israel on the 8th of October last year. This was the day after Hamas launched a deadly attack against southern Israel. The Iran-backed group claims it is acting in support of the Palestinians, and has said that it will cease firing if Israel and Hamas reach a truce in Gaza.
Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah over the past three weeks, intensifying airstrikes against southern Lebanon and southern Beirut, assassinating Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and launching an invasion on the ground.
Lebanon claims that more than 2,000 have died, mainly due to the recent escalation. Hundreds of thousands have also been displaced. Israeli authorities report that Hezbollah rockets killed two Israeli civilians this week, as well as a Thai national.
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