Israel blamed “bad weather conditions” for the situation in which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) opened fire on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on Sunday, saying the blue-helmeted UNIFIL peacekeepers had been mistaken for “suspects” and that the IDF troops had fired “warning shots”.
A statement from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Israeli forces “fired on UNIFIL peacekeepers from Merkava tanks from near a position established by Israel in Lebanese territory.” Bullets from the heavy machine gun fell about five meters (16 feet) away from the peacekeepers, the statement said. No one was injured in the incident.
Israel said it had identified “two suspects” in the El Hamames area of southern Lebanon and, “Soldiers subsequently fired warning shots, and the suspects distanced themselves. No injuries were reported.”
The statement further said, “After review, it was determined that the suspects were United Nations soldiers who were patrolling the area and were classified as suspects due to poor weather conditions.” “No shots were intentionally fired towards UNIFIL troops.”
UNIFIL forces were reportedly held back for 30 minutes before leaving the area after the IDF troops withdrew.
UN calls shelling ‘serious violations’
UNIFIL officials called the incident a “serious violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701”, which states that no armed forces except UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese Army should operate in southern Lebanon.
UN peacekeepers are working in coordination with the Lebanese army in an effort to monitor a force truce signed between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants last November.
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel erupted shortly after the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the latest war in Gaza.
The current ceasefire agreement calls for Hezbollah to remove all weapons from southern Lebanon and for Israel to abandon all positions inside Lebanon, although Israel retains five positions it considers strategically important. IDF soldiers have regularly launched attacks from checkpoints.
Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah fighters. Lebanon accused its neighbor of “violating Lebanese sovereignty, creating instability and hindering the full deployment of troops to the south”.
Lebanon said its forces are working in coordination with friendly countries to maintain continuity and end [ceasefire] Violation.”
UNIFIL clarified that Sunday’s incident is not the first time Israel has endangered the lives of UN peacekeepers.
“Nevertheless, we call on the IDF to stop any aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers,” UNIFIL said in a statement on Sunday.
Edited by Shawn Sinico