The United Nations (UN) on October 13 said that Israeli tanks breached its peacekeeping facility in southern Lebanon and exploded shells near the base, affecting staff, Reuters reported.
According to the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon, two Israeli Merkava tanks forced their way through the main gate of a peacekeeping base on Sunday (October 13) morning, and shells exploded 100 metres away from the facility after the tanks left. The statement added that the shells released smoke, which entered the base and “sickened UN personnel”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid tribute to UNIFIL's peacekeepers, praising those who “remain in all positions” and warning that peacekeepers must not be targetted.
In a statement late on October 13, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, “The UN flag continues to fly,” adding, “Attacks against peacekeepers are in breach of international law, including international humanitarian law. They may constitute a war crime.”
The UNIFIL said previous attacks by Israel on cameras, communications equipment, lighting and a watchtower had restricted its monitoring abilities. Sources in the UN told Reuters they “fear any violations of international law in the conflict will be impossible to monitor”.
Further, United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin called Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on October 13 to express “deep concern” and “reinforce the importance of taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces,” per a statement.
It added that Austin pressed Gallant for Israel “to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway to provide security for civilians on both sides of the border as soon as feasible.”
Over the past three weeks, 1.2 million Lebanese have been uprooted due to the Israeli offensive. Lebanon's government says over 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 wounded in over a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah—the majority of these numbers reported over the past few weeks.
The Israeli military is, however, disputing this and claimed Hezbollah members fired anti-tank missiles at their troops from “very close to a UNIFIL post,” injuring 25.
“The attack was very close to a UNIFIL post, and a tank helping evacuate the casualties under fire then backed into the UNIFIL post,” the Israeli military's international spokesperson Nadav Shoshani told reporters.
He added, “It is not storming a base. It is not trying to enter a base. It was a tank under heavy fire, mass casualty event, backing up to get out of harm's way.”
Further, about the shells, Shoshani said they were used as a “smoke screen” to cover the evacuation of wounded soldiers, adding that their military posed “no danger to the UN peacekeeping force.”
In a statement addressed to Guterres, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that UNIFIL withdraw from what he termed as “Hezbollah strongholds”.
“The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones. The IDF has requested this repeatedly and has met with repeated refusal, which has the effect of providing Hezbollah terrorists with human shields,” he stated.
(With inputs from Reuters)
