War against Hezbollah
Israeli army fires on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
The UNIFIL mission in Lebanon involves 10,000 soldiers from 50 countries
© Taher Abu Hamdan / DPA
Two soldiers from the UN observation mission in southern Lebanon were injured in a shelling by Israeli troops. These are the first victims in the ranks of the Blue Helmet Mission.
Israeli troops have entered Lebanon, according to the report United Nations shelled the headquarters of the UN mission Unifil, injuring at least two UN soldiers. An Israeli army tank directly hit a United Nations observation post, a spokesman said. These are the first victims in the ranks of the Blue Helmet mission since Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia began around a week ago.
When asked, the Israeli army initially did not provide any confirmation or details about the incident. The UN mission has been monitoring the border area for decades. More than 10,000 UN soldiers from more than 50 countries are involved, including Germans. Many of the UN troops come from Indonesia, Italy and India, among others.
UN soldiers “not seriously injured”
The shelling occurred in Nakura in the southern border area. On the Mediterranean coast, it is the first major town in Lebanon near the demarcation line with Israel. The Unifil mission has its headquarters here. This and the surrounding area were “hit repeatedly,” explained the Unifil spokesman. The two UN soldiers were not seriously injured, but were in hospital after the attack. Another Israeli attack also hit the entrance to a bunker where UN soldiers had sought protection. UN vehicles and a communications system were also damaged.
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Israel’s army began a ground offensive in Lebanon a week ago and says it is fighting against the Islamist Hezbollah there. At the same time, the risk of possible clashes with the Lebanese army and UN soldiers is increasing. The Lebanese army is not directly involved in the conflict, but it has also reported fatalities after clashes with Israeli troops.
Ireland’s president sharply criticized Israel
Irish President Michael D. Higgins, whose country provides more than 300 UN soldiers, had previously sharply criticized Israel’s actions. Israel’s army had threatened the peacekeepers and wanted them to be evacuated, Higgins said a few days ago. Israel is even demanding that the entire Unifil mission move away from the border area.
A few days ago, the UN mission had expressed “deep concern” about Israeli military activities “in the immediate vicinity” of one of its posts. She was referring to an attack near Marun ar-Ras in the border area further east of Nakura.
28 people die in attack in Gaza
Meanwhile, an Israeli attack in the city of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip killed at least 28 people, according to Palestinian sources. The Health Ministry, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas, said dozens of people were also injured. The people were therefore in a former school building that is used as refugee accommodation in the city in the center of the coastal strip. The information could not initially be independently verified.
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Israel’s military later said the air force had attacked a command center of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Deir al-Balah area. This was located in the building of the former school. This information could not be independently verified. Attacks against the Israeli armed forces and the State of Israel were planned and carried out from the building. The army said measures were previously taken to reduce the risk to civilians. This, too, could not be independently verified.