On Sunday, an attack was recorded against a patrol of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), when an Israeli army Merkava tank fired from a position located in Lebanese territory. This event caused great concern, as several heavy artillery rounds hit just five meters away from the peacekeepers, forcing UN personnel to seek shelter in a safe area.
The UN peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, reported that they were able to establish communication with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) through designated channels, requesting the cessation of fire. After an intense half hour, the patrol was able to leave the area without incidents, once the tank withdrew to Israeli positions. UNIFIL described the attack as a serious violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
In response to questions from local media, representatives of the Israeli army claimed that the attack was the result of a misidentification of UNIFIL troops, attributed to weather conditions, stating that they had no intention of attacking UN peacekeeping forces.
This incident adds to a worrying series, being the third in the last three months. Previously, on September 2, Israeli army drones bombed areas near peacekeeping forces attempting to clear barricades. Also on October 26, UNIFIL reported an attack with an Israeli drone that launched a grenade near a patrol, followed by tank fire that threatened UN personnel.
This attack comes at a critical time for UNIFIL, which is scheduled to close its operations by the end of 2027, after almost five decades of presence in the region. The mission, created in 1978 by the Security Council to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, has been essential for the relative stability of that area. Its mandate was expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, and again after intense fighting last autumn that caused severe damage in several towns in southern Lebanon.
UNIFIL has been supporting the redeployment of the Lebanese National Army in territories where state authority is being reaffirmed, in a context where Israel maintains various military positions. The mission has reiterated its demand to the Israeli Defense Forces to cease any kind of aggressive behavior and attacks against peacekeeping personnel, emphasizing that their troops work to restore the stability that both Israel and Lebanon claim to desire.
Source: MiMub in Spanish