Israel again attacked UN peacekeepers on Wednesday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said.
“This morning, peacekeepers at a position near Kafer Kela observed an IDF Merkava tank firing at their watchtower. Two cameras were destroyed, and the tower was damaged,” UNIFIL said in a statement.
The Israeli military has now attacked UNIFIL troops a handful of times since it first invaded Lebanon two weeks ago. Israel demanded that the UN peacekeeping force vacate its bases, something the member states of UNIFIL refused.
Israel has claimed that it is going after Hezbollah targets and not UNIFIL, but the peacekeepers have pushed back.
“Yet again, we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a UNIFIL position,” the statement on Wednesday read. “We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times.”
European nations who have troops in the peacekeeping force have slammed Israel for the repeated attacks, and Italy’s prime minister is set to visit Beirut on Friday as part of this concern.
Israel’s top diplomat – the same official who said the UN secretary-general was not welcome to Israel – said Wednesday that UNIFIL would play a crucial role in the “day after” the war with Hezbollah.
However, 16 European countries that contribute troops to UNIFIL said Wednesday that they were willing to exert maximum political and diplomatic pressure on Israel to prevent any more attacks.
The US has also condemned Israeli targeting of UN peacekeepers as well as soldiers from the Lebanese Armed Forces. An Israeli attack in southern Lebanon killed two LAF soldiers and wounded three others last week.
