Two United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia were injured on Thursday morning after an Israeli Defense Forces Merkava tank fired directly at an observation watchtower at the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the coastal town of Naqoura.
According to an official UNIFIL statement, the tank shell directly impacted the tower structure, causing both Blue Helmet personnel to fall to the ground; they were immediately evacuated to the mission hospital in Naqoura with non-life-threatening injuries.
Direct Tank Strike on Naqoura Observation Tower
The peacekeeping mission reported two additional incidents in recent days, noting that Israeli soldiers fired upon a fortified bunker entrance in Labbouneh where Italian peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging military vehicles and severing vital communications systems.
UNIFIL further stated that an Israeli military drone was observed flying aggressively inside the perimeter of a United Nations compound up to the bunker entrance, describing the pattern of incidents as repeated and deliberate targeting of clearly marked UN positions.
“Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and UN Security Council Resolution 1701.” — United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Statement
Diplomatic Outrage From Troop-Contributing Nations
The strikes triggered immediate diplomatic outrage across major troop-contributing nations, with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto summoning the Israeli ambassador in Rome and declaring that attacks on UN bases were totally unacceptable and constituted potential war crimes.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi joined United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in demanding immediate assurances for the safety of the 10,000 peacekeepers deployed along the Blue Line.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura?
An Israeli Merkava tank fired directly at a UNIFIL observation tower in Naqoura, causing two Indonesian peacekeepers to fall and sustain injuries.
How did international allies react to the UNIFIL incident?
Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador, while France, Spain, Indonesia, and the UN condemned the strikes as violations of international law.
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