Vehicles of the United Nations Interim Forces In Lebanon (UNIFIL) escort a convoy of residents from the Christian village of Alma al-Shaab evacuating from the village in southern Lebanon through the area of Naqoura on March 10, 2026. (Credit: Kawnat Haju/ AFP)
BEIRUT – The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Saturday that one of its positions near the locality of Mais al-Jabal was targeted on Friday by heavy machine-gun fire, causing a fire and slightly injuring a peacekeeper.
"Last night [Friday], one of our sites located near Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun district) was hit by what appears to be heavy machine-gun fire, which caused a fire. A peacekeeper was slightly injured while heading to a shelter. We have opened an investigation into this incident," UNIFIL spokesperson Candice Ardiel said in a statement, without specifying the origin of the fire.
"We remind all parties of their obligations to ensure the safety and protection of peacekeepers at all times," she added.
UNIFIL is often targeted by Israel but also by residents of southern Lebanon close to Hezbollah, who are hostile to the presence of the international force. During the night from Friday, March 6, into Saturday, an attack against a UNIFIL position seriously injured three Ghanaian peacekeepers inside their position in Qaouzah, in southwestern Lebanon, amid heavy gunfire. Along with massive strikes in the south of the country, the incident revived UN fears of a new spiral of violence on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
In New York, the United Nations warned of the consequences of military escalation in an already deeply unstable region. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack against the peacekeepers, saying that forces deployed in Lebanon operate under a Security Council mandate and are one of the pillars of the international architecture for stabilizing Lebanon's southern border.
