Israel admitted its forces opened fire in the area, saying Hezbollah militants operated near UN posts. Italy, a major contributor of troops to the UN peacekeeping force, said the acts “could constitute war crimes” while the US said it was “deeply concerned.”
The peacekeeping mission last week rejected Israel’s demands to “relocate” from some of its positions in south Lebanon, where the IDF has been hitting what it claimed were Hezbollah targets. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, has some 10,000 peacekeepers deployed in south Lebanon. It has been calling for a ceasefire since fighting escalated between the IDF and the militant group Hezbollah on September 23.
The UN mission confirmed two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired a shell towards an observation tower at the UNIFIL headquarters in south Lebanon’s Naqura, directly hitting it.
The peacekeepers did not suffer serious injuries, “but they remain in hospital,” it said. They are Indonesian nationals, a UNIFIL spokesperson said. Indonesia is also a major contributor of troops to the UNIFIL.
Indonesia’s UN ambassador Hari Prabowo said the incident “clearly demonstrates how Israel positioned itself above international law, above impunity and above our shared values of peace.” Israel claimed its military “opened fire in the area” of the UNIFIL base after telling UN forces to seek shelter.
Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the attack and other incidents that the UNIFIL blames on Israel “could constitute war crimes”, and asked for an explanation because “it was not a mistake”. The Defence Minister described the shooting as intolerable, and filed protests with his Israeli counterpart and the country’s ambassador to Italy.
The White House said it was “deeply concerned”. “We understand Israel is conducting targeted operations near the Blue Line to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure… it is critical that they not threaten UN peacekeepers’ safety and security,” the White House said.
Spain’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns the Israeli firing that hit UNIFIL headquarters” which it called a “grave violation of international law”. Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, whose country has about 370 troops in the mission, said “any firing in the vicinity of UNIFIL troops or facilities is reckless and must stop”.
UNIFIL headquarters and nearby positions “have been repeatedly hit,” the mission said. On Wednesday, “IDF soldiers deliberately fired at and disabled” perimetre-monitoring cameras around a position, UNIFIL added.
The head of UN peacekeeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix said peacekeepers were at “serious risk” and that by Sunday 300 Blue Helmets were temporarily relocated to larger bases “with the movement of another 200 planned.” UNIFIL’s footprint in the most affected positions would be slashed by 25 percent, he said. “The safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly in jeopardy,” Mr Lacroix told the UN Security Council oln Thursday.