Israeli Fire Hits UN Peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon reported that Israeli troops fired on its personnel on Sunday in southern Lebanon. Israel's military said it mistook the UN soldiers, wearing blue helmets, for "suspects" and fired warning shots, attributing the mistake to poor weather conditions. No injuries were reported.

UNIFIL stated that Israeli forces fired from a Merkava tank near a position inside Lebanese territory, with heavy machine-gun rounds landing about five metres from the peacekeepers. The troops were able to leave safely after the tank withdrew.

Israel said two "suspects" were identified in the El Hamames area, who later turned out to be UN soldiers on patrol. The military insisted no deliberate fire was aimed at UN personnel.

UNIFIL stressed that the incident violates UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict and underpinned a truce reached last November. The ceasefire, aimed at halting hostilities after the Gaza war, required Israel to withdraw from south Lebanon, though it maintains forces in five strategic areas and carries out regular strikes against Hezbollah targets.

Lebanon’s army condemned the incident, calling it a violation of its sovereignty and an obstacle to full army deployment in the south. It said it is coordinating with friendly nations to end these continuous violations.

UNIFIL reiterated its call for Israel to stop aggressive actions near peacekeepers.