&w=1024&resize=1024,0&ssl=1 "The United Nations accused Israel of violating the peacekeeping base amid conflicting world news reports")
The United Nations said on Sunday that Israeli tanks stormed the gates of one of its peacekeeping bases in southern Lebanon, the latest accusation of Israeli violations and an attack condemned by its own allies.
UNIFIL peacekeepers said two Israeli Merkava tanks destroyed the main gate of a base and forced entry before dawn on Sunday. After the tanks were moved, the shells exploded 100 meters away, releasing smoke that spread across the base and sickened UN personnel, it said in a statement.
Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp
In its version of events, the Israeli military said that militants from the Iran-backed Hezbollah group fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli soldiers, wounding 25 of them. The attack occurred very close to a UNIFIL post and a tank that was helping to evacuate victims under fire later returned to the UNIFIL post, he said.
“It’s not about attacking a base. It's not about trying to get into a base. It was a tank, heavy fire, lots of casualties, supported out of danger,” Nadav Shoshani, the military's international spokesman, told reporters.
In a statement, the military said it used a smoke screen to evacuate injured soldiers, but its actions posed no danger to UN peacekeeping forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: “It is time to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and war zones.”
“The IDF has repeatedly requested this and repeatedly refused, with the effect that Hezbollah provides human shields to terrorists.”
Guterres paid tribute to UNIFIL peacekeepers, who “remain in all positions,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement released late Sunday, “while the UN flag continues to fly.” .
The secretary-general reiterated the warning that peacekeepers should not be targeted, he said.
“Attacks against peacekeepers are a violation of international law, including international humanitarian law. They could constitute a war crime,” said Dujarric.
UNIFIL said Israel's previous attacks on an observation tower, cameras, communications equipment and lighting limited its observation capabilities. UN sources say they fear it will be impossible to monitor violations of international law in the conflict.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in a call with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Galant, on Sunday “emphasized the importance of Israel taking all necessary measures to ensure the security of UNIFIL forces and the Lebanese Armed Forces,” according to according to a reading of the link. . .
Austin emphasized the need for Israel to “move as quickly as possible from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic path to provide security for civilians on both sides of the border.”
The conflict has been simmering for a year
Hezbollah, which has been fighting on the ground in southern Lebanon since Israel launched an offensive earlier this month, denies Israeli accusations that it uses the presence of peacekeepers for protection.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah resumed a year ago when the Iran-backed group began firing rockets at Israeli positions in support of Hamas at the start of the war in Gaza, and has intensified sharply in recent weeks.
On Sunday, Hezbollah said it attacked an Israeli army Golani Brigade camp in Binyamina, northern Israel, with “a swarm of drones.” Some unmanned aircraft, including drone models not previously used by Hezbollah, penetrated Israeli air defense radar without being detected, the group said in a statement.
The Israeli military said four of its soldiers were killed and seven were seriously injured in the incident. The army said the incident is being investigated.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, normally one of Israel's most vocal supporters among Western European leaders, spoke by phone with Netanyahu on Sunday and condemned the “unacceptable” Israeli attack, her government said.
Italy has more than a thousand soldiers in UNIFIL's 10,000-strong force, making it the largest personnel contributor. France and Spain, which each have around 700 soldiers in their forces, also condemned the Israeli attack.
UNIFIL's presence puts at risk peacekeeping forces from 50 different countries, a force first deployed in southern Lebanon in 1978.
The region has experienced decades of conflict, with Israel invading in 1982, occupying southern Lebanon until 2000, and fighting Hezbollah again in 2006, in a major five-week war that ended with a ceasefire monitored by UNIFIL.
Israel's offensive against Hezbollah over the past three weeks has dealt an unprecedented blow to the group, uprooting 1.2 million Lebanese and killing most of its senior leadership.
Lebanon's government says more than 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 injured in recent weeks in more than a year of fighting. The number of victims does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but includes many women and children.
Territory in suspense
Israeli officials say UNIFIL failed in its mission to uphold UN Resolution 1701, passed after the 2006 war, which called for Lebanon's southern border area to be freed from weapons or troops other than the Lebanese state.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Saturday, expressed “deep concern” about reports of Israeli forces firing at peacekeeping positions. He called on Israel to guarantee his safety and that of the Lebanese military, which is not a party to Israel's conflict with Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, the Middle East is on high alert so that Israel may retaliate against Iran for its barrage of long-range missiles on October 1, in response to Israel's attack on Lebanon.
Iran said on Sunday it had “no red line” in self-defense. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi's comments were intended to ensure that Iran would absorb an Israeli attack without retaliation, as it did the last time Israel struck Iran earlier this year following a hail of Iranian missiles.
(Only the title and image for this report may have been reworked by the Business Standards team; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a distributed feed.)
