Israeli forces fire on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said two of its peacekeepers were injured after an Israeli tank fired at a watchtower in the southern town of Naqoura on Thursday.

Israel said its troops operated on Thursday near a UNIFIL base in Naqoura but said it instructed the UN forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, then opened fire.

The Israeli military asked UN peacekeepers last week to prepare to relocate more than five km (three miles) from the border "as soon as possible, in order to maintain your safety," according to an excerpt from the message seen by Reuters. 

In the same period, UNIFIL sent a letter to the Israeli military objecting to army vehicles and troops positioning themselves "in immediate proximity" to UN positions on several occasions, including by circling Israeli Merkava tanks around their posts or parking next to them.

UNIFIL said in a statement that any attack on peacekeepers is a “grave violation of international humanitarian law”. 

The organisation, established in 1978, is mandated by the UN Security Council (UNSC) and consists of over 10,000 members from 50 countries. 

The attack has been widely condemned by the international community.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said, "This was not a mistake and not an accident." The Israeli ambassador to Italy was summoned by Crosetto to demand an explanation for the incident. 

“The protection of peacekeepers is an obligation that applies to all parties to a conflict,” the French foreign ministry said. 

The latest attack is the third such incident during the current conflict in Lebanon. 

On Wednesday, IDF soldiers deliberately fired at and disabled the position’s perimeter-monitoring cameras, UNIFIL said. 

Israeli forces also fired on UN position 1-31 in Ras Naqoura, hitting the entrance to the bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering and damaging vehicles and a communications system.