UN accuses Israel of firing on Lebanon peacekeepers

BEIRUT, Lebanon

The United Nations accused Israel of targeting its peacekeeping force near the Lebanese border on Thursday after two soldiers were wounded by tank fire in Naqoura.

Airstrikes on two residential buildings in the Al-Karak area of central Bekaa killed nine displaced people and injured 14 others as they were buried alive under rubble, initial reports said.

UNIFIL announced that its Naqoura headquarters and nearby positions were hit for the first time since confrontations started between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.

The force said: “Two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall. The injuries are fortunately, this time, not serious, but the soldiers remain in hospital.

“Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Security Council resolution 1701,” UNIFIL warned.

In a statement, the peacekeeping force also addressed “incursions from Israel into Lebanon in Naqoura and other areas,” highlighting other attacks on its forces.

“IDF soldiers also fired on UN position 1-31 in Labouneh, hitting the entrance to the bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, and damaging vehicles and a communications system. An IDF drone was observed flying inside the UN position up to the bunker entrance.

“Yesterday, IDF soldiers deliberately fired at and disabled the position’s perimeter-monitoring cameras. They also deliberately fired on position 1-32A in Naqoura, where regular tripartite meetings were held before the conflict began, damaging lighting and a relay station.”

UNIFIL warned the warring sides 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.”

The force is “following up with the IDF” over the incident and is present in southern Lebanon to “support a return to stability,” the statement said.

Over the past 24 hours, Israel also damaged Lebanese army sites as an Israeli bulldozer demolished an observation tower belonging to the fifth brigade at Naqoura.

The tower was built about five years ago by the army as part of a series of sites along the border in the western sector.

Two residential buildings containing a scientific library collapsed in the Haret Hreik area of Beirut’s southern suburb following a fire caused by airstrikes on Thursday.

The Israeli army claimed to have targeted “depots and combat equipment in Beirut and the south.”

It also claimed the killing of two Hezbollah commanders: Ahmed Mustafa Ali, charged with the militant group’s rocket operations; and Mohammad Ali, chief of Hezbollah’s anti-tank unit.

Seven Israeli airstrikes on the Syrian border town of Hosh Al-Sayyed, near a Lebanese Army checkpoint, wounded several soldiers, with the injuries described as minor.

Airstrikes on the southern town of Mayfadoun caused casualties, while a strike on a home in the town of Mahrouna killed five people.

On Thursday, civil defense teams from the Islamic Mission Scouts Association continued searching for missing people under the rubble of a church and a Lebanese Civil Defense Center.

The two sites were targeted by the Israeli army on Wednesday in the town of Derdghaiya, killing five of the center’s personnel.

Four people were killed after the Israeli army targeted a building in the Boudai valley, west Baalbek, while one critically injured person was transferred to Dar Al-Amal University Hospital.

As Israeli forces continue to mobilize on the Lebanese border, Hezbollah has continuously targeted Kiryat Shmona and the surroundings of Haifa with rocket and missile fire.

The group also announced it had repelled several Israeli incursion attempts.

Hezbollah fighters targeted “Israeli soldiers in Ma’ayan Baruch with rockets, a second soldier gathering in Beit Hillel in the Golan, and a third soldier gathering in Kfar Giladi,” a statement said.

An Israeli tank advancing toward Naqoura was struck by an anti-tank missile, and a medical evacuation force was also targeted, the group said.

Hezbollah also targeted northern Haifa with a large rocket salvo.

Israeli media reported a “direct hit” on a building in the town of Margaliot ,while Kiryat Shmona faced “heavy shelling, and dozens of explosions were heard.”

The Israeli army announced that Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ronny Ganizate, of the 5030th Battalion, 228th Brigade (Alon), was killed on Oct. 9, adding that another reserve soldier from the 5030th Battalion was seriously wounded.

Israeli media outlets reported that 38 Israeli soldiers were injured over the past 24 hours during confrontations with Hezbollah.

Following an exceptional meeting of Lebanon’s Central Internal Security Council, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi discussed the status of displaced people in Beirut.

He warned of “unacceptable attempts to erect tents and build concrete structures along Beirut’s seaside corniche.

“For those claiming that security forces are absent in Beirut, we assure you that security forces are present and have been reinforced,” he added.

“However, managing the additional influx of displaced people is not an easy task.”

He called for large shelters to be erected in the Lebanese capital, warning that the state “would not tolerate any violation of public property."

He added: “Security forces will carry out their duties as required.”