A peacekeeper from the Spanish UNIFIL battalion looks out from one of the mission's bases in the Marjayoun district, in south-eastern Lebanon, on July 12, 2024. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Two UNIFIL peacekeepers were injured by explosions that hit close to the force's Naqoura headquarters' observation tower on Friday, according to a statement released by the international peacekeeping mission. One of the wounded was taken to a hospital in Sour while the other was is being treated in Naqoura.
This is the second time in 48 hours that the peacekeeping mission's main base in the area was shaken by explosions as Israel continues its bombardment of southern Lebanon and daily ground incursions in its battle against Hezbollah. On Thursday, two Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers were wounded in Israeli fire.
Friday's statement also detailed an incident in which a bulldozer belonging to the Israeli army knocked down several T-walls, large free-standing concrete segments that can be placed together to create a boundary, at U.N. Position 1-31 near Labbouneh, southern Lebanon. Following the Israeli caterpillar's trail, tanks moved "in the proximity of the U.N. position."
"Our peacekeepers remained at the location, and a UNIFIL Quick Reaction Force was dispatched to assist and reinforce the position," the UNIFIL statement reads, adding that these actions, described as "a serious development," have put its personnel "at very serious risk."
The mission reiterated that any deliberate attack on the peacekeepers is a "grave violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution 1701," created in 2006 to facilitate the withdrawal of Israel from southern Lebanon and the demilitarization of Hezbollah.
"The safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times."
UNIFIL at the Security Council
On Thursday, the U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council that the safety and security of U.N. troops in Lebanon are "increasingly in jeopardy," adding that operational activities have come to a halt since Sept. 23, when Israel suddenly and dramatically intensified its bombing of south and east Lebanon, hitting more than 800 sites in one day and killing over 500 people. Since then, the UNIFIL peacekeepers have been confined to their bases with significant periods of time in shelter.
However, Lacroix also told the emergency Security Council meeting that UNIFIL would not evacuate its personnel, but because of air and ground attacks they cannot conduct patrols. UNIFIL operations have virtually come to a halt since late September, when Israel expanded its bombing campaign.
“Peacekeepers have been confined to their bases with significant periods of time in shelter,” he said, adding that the security environment has also presented challenges for the resupply of fuel, food and water for U.N. positions.
Later Thursday, Lacroix said 300 peacekeepers in frontline positions had been temporarily moved to larger bases, and that plans to move another 200 will depend on security conditions as the conflict escalates. He said UNIFIL had decided to reduce its presence “at the most affected U.N. positions by 25 percent.”
Israel explains
The Israeli army said that it troops had opened fire at a "threat" near a UNIFIL peacekeepers' position in southern Lebanon during an "incident" that injured the two peacekeepers, according to an AFP report.
"Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon identified an imminent threat against them and responded by opening fire in its direction," the army said a statement. "An initial examination indicates that a UNIFIL post located about 50 meters from the source of the threat was hit during the incident, which resulted in two injuries among UNIFIL ranks," the army claims.
Shortly before releasing this statement, the army had announced that it was "conducting a thorough review at the highest level."
The Israeli army claimed to "express its deep concern about incidents of this kind and is currently conducting a thorough review at the highest command level to establish the details of what happened." The army is in contact with UNIFIL for coordination purposes "and will continue to be," but went on to accuse Hezbollah of deliberately operating near UNIFIL posts.
Ireland responds
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said he was "deeply concerned" about the attack on UNIFIL, while Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin, who is also deputy prime minister, condemned it and called it an "an extraordinary development, quite shocking."
"This marks a very serious intensification of [Israeli army] hostility towards U.N. forces and U.N. posts," Martin said. "Absolutely unacceptable. What happened over the last 48 hours prior to this was reckless and intimidatory."
Ireland, which has been a prominent pro-Palestine voice on the European stage, accounts for 347 of the 10,000 soldiers serving in the UNIFIL forces charged with maintaining peace in the south of Lebanon.
Speaking to reporters in southwest Ireland, Martin called on the international community to "really put down a marker to Israel that this is unacceptable behavior."
"The international community now needs to collectively engage with Israel and put pressure on Israel to desist from this activity, to stop it, and to ensure that U.N. peacekeepers are not put in harm's way," he said.