The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon says Israeli tanks have forced entry at one of its positions, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN to evacuate its troops from the area.
The incident is the latest in a series of violations and attacks by Israeli forces on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in recent days and comes as Israel expands its bombardment and ground attacks on Lebanon.
UNIFIL said in a statement on Sunday that two Israeli tanks “destroyed the position’s main gate and forcibly entered the position”.
Soon after the tanks left, shells exploded 100 metres (328 feet) away, releasing smoke that blew across the base and sickened UN personnel, causing 15 to require treatment despite wearing gas masks, UNIFIL said. It did not say who fired the shells or what sort of toxic substance it suspected.
It also accused Israel’s military of halting a logistics convoy. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to the statement.
“Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Resolution 1701,” the United Nations force said. “UNIFIL’s mandate provides for its freedom of movement in its area of operations, and any restriction on this is a violation of Resolution 1701. We have requested an explanation from the [Israeli army] for these shocking violations.”
The incident occurred hours before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UN to evacuate the peacekeeping force from combat areas in Lebanon.
Attacks on UN peacekeepers
Five peacekeepers have so far been wounded in a series of attacks that have hit peacekeeping positions and personnel in recent days, with most of the attacks blamed by UNIFIL on Israeli forces.
On Thursday, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the UN Security Council that “the safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly in jeopardy”. He said they remained in position but operational activities had virtually come to a halt since September 23 and peacekeepers were confined to base. Three hundred had also been temporarily relocated to bigger bases.
The United States and European countries have demanded that Israeli forces stop firing at the peacekeepers. On Friday, US President Joe Biden said he was “absolutely, positively” telling Israel to stop.
On Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, typically one of Israel’s most vocal supporters among Western European leaders, also reiterated to Netanyahu the “unacceptability of UNIFIL being attacked by Israeli armed forces”, according to an Italian government statement.
