UN calls on Israel to halt ‘disturbingly common’ attacks on peacekeepers in Lebanon

NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Tuesday called on Israel to halt what it described as increasingly frequent attacks on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, pointing out that such incidents constitute serious violations of a UN Security Council resolution.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon reported two attacks in the past 24 hours against personnel clearly identifiable as UN staff: wearing blue helmets and blue jackets marked with the UN logo.
They said such incidents were becoming “disturbingly common” and violated Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The UN said two suspected flare mortars struck one of its positions near the village of Yaroun in southern Lebanon late on Monday. The peacekeepers requested a halt to activity by the Israeli army.
Earlier, UNIFIL observed two Merkava tanks moving deeper into Lebanese territory from an Israeli military position near Sarda. The peacekeepers requested, through established liaison mechanisms, that the tanks halt their advance. Later, one of the tanks fired three shells from its main gun, two of which landed about 150 meters from the UN force.
UNIFIL had informed the Israeli military of planned peacekeeper activities in the area, in keeping with standard procedures for patrols along the UN-demarcated Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel. No injuries were reported in either incident.
“We again remind the Israel Defense Forces, and all parties, of the obligation to ensure the safety of peacekeepers and to cease attacks against them,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
UNIFIL has monitored the volatile border region for decades amid recurring tensions between Israel and the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon.