French UNIFIL soldiers on July 8, 2025, at a Lebanese Army base in the Sour region of southern Lebanon. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today)
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) accused the Israeli army on Friday of firing around 30 bullets at one of its positions near Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya) and denounced the Israeli army's dropping of a grenade "about 30 meters from peacekeepers" in the town of Odaisseh (Marjayoun district) on Thursday.
In a separate statement released earlier today, UNIFIL wrote that, "Any action exposing peacekeepers to risk constitutes a serious violation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and jeopardizes the stability we are all striving to preserve," it said. The U.N. force clarified that there were no injuries.
"An Israeli army Merkava tank, positioned south of the Blue Line, fired around 30 small-caliber rounds at a UNIFIL position near Kfar Shuba," the U.N. force said in a statement. "The shots hit a sentry post, and one of the projectiles penetrated one of the post's living quarters, probably after ricocheting. Fortunately, the occupant was not present at the time of the impact and no injuries were reported," the statement continued.
UNIFIL said it had asked the Israeli army to cease firing throughout the cease-fire monitoring committee meeting.
At the time of the incident, UNIFIL was preparing to inspect a residence after discovering an "explosive device connected to a cord" in a neighboring building.
This action followed a warning from residents about "the existence of a potential danger in a house." According to our information, an Israeli army unit infiltrated the area at dawn Thursday to blow up homes in the town. UNIFIL's search was conducted jointly with the Lebanese Army.
UNIFIL had reported several times in recent months about Israeli fire near its personnel or in their direction. "Such incidents occur with undue frequency and constitute a worrisome trend," the force stated on Jan. 2. Some 10,800 peacekeepers have been acting as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since March 1978. They operate in South Lebanon in cooperation with the Lebanese Army within the framework of a cease-fire in effect since November 2024 between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel was supposed to withdraw its forces from the area but has maintained them in five sectors it deems strategic and regularly conducts strikes in the country, claiming to target Hezbollah sites and affiliates, whom it accuses of rearming. UNIFIL's mandate ends at the close of 2026, and its forces are to have fully withdrawn from South Lebanon by the end of 2027.
Israeli strikes
It should also be noted that the Israeli army carried out two drone strikes targeting vehicles in southern Lebanon between Thursday night and Friday morning, one of which was fatal, our correspondent in the region reports.
At 11 p.m. on Thursday, a drone fired two missiles at a car traveling between Zawtar Sharqieh and Mayfadoun in the Nabatieh district. The vehicle caught fire and the driver was instantly killed.
Hezbollah identified him as Walid Illaik, one of its fighters originally from Zawtar Gharbieh. On Friday morning, a similar strike targeted a pickup truck in Mansouri, in the Sour district. The vehicle, which was being used to collect scrap metal, was not directly hit, but shrapnel struck it, slightly injuring the driver, who was immediately hospitalized.
According to the Ministry of Health, the strike killed one person, but our correspondent has been unable to confirm this information as of yet.
In the early afternoon, an Israeli military drone fired a sound grenade on Odaisseh, (Marjayoun). A few hours later, two sound grenades were fired on the public square in Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil).
Meeting between Joseph Aoun and Simon Karam
President Joseph Aoun, meanwhile, met Friday at the Presidential Palace in Baabda with Simon Karam, Lebanon's civilian representative in the cease-fire monitoring committee, known as the "mechanism," ahead of its upcoming meeting, according to the Lebanese presidency on X.
The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, although there have been reports of a possible postponement in view of regional tensions following a possible US strike on Iran.
Aoun and Karam routinely meet ahead of "mechanism" gatherings, which have brought civilian representatives into the fold since early December, with the exception of the Jan. 7 meeting.
Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon, demolishes buildings in Bint Jbeil