Israeli offensive against UN peacekeepers leaves five injured in 48 hours

Unifil (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) said this Saturday (12) that a fifth blue helmet was injured in Lebanon in an Israeli attack carried out on Friday (11). At least two soldiers were injured, according to the UN, in the attack that Israel said was directed against a “threat” near peacekeepers.

On Thursday (10), two other soldiers were injured after an Israeli Defense Forces Merkava tank fired towards an observation tower at the Unifil headquarters in Naqoura. In reaction, Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador for explanations and Itamaraty published a note condemning the violations of international law.

In this Friday’s episode, the UN force reported “explosions for the second time in 48 hours” that injured members of Sri Lanka.

“On Friday night, a blue helmet was hit by gunfire while a military operation was taking place near the Unifil headquarters in Naqura,” Unifil said in a statement, without giving further details.

“Israeli forces asked us to abandon our positions on the Blue Line [marcação delimitada pela ONU entre Israel e o Líbano]but there was a unanimous decision to remain, because the UN flag needs to be here,” said Unifil spokesperson Andrea Tenenti.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the fact constitutes “a violation of international humanitarian law” and declared that these actions “represent a great risk to peacekeepers”.

Israel acknowledged that it reached the Unifil headquarters in Naqoura. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Friday that its soldiers “identified an immediate threat against them” and “returned fire against the threat.”

“Hours before the incident, the IDF instructed UNIFIL personnel to enter protected spaces and remain there. This instruction was in force at the time of the incident”, commented the military.

The attack on UN forces generated strong reactions internationally. US President Joe Biden called on Israel, his ally, to cease firing at UN forces.

Meeting with his European counterparts from the Mediterranean basin at a summit in Cyprus, the Spanish head of government, Pedro Sánchez, urged the international community to stop supplying weapons to Israel and demanded “the cessation of all types of violence” against Finul.

His Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, considered these attacks “unacceptable”, as did French President Emmanuel Macron, who added that France “will not tolerate” further incidents of this type.