Israeli tank fire hits near UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, mission says

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Sunday that an Israeli tank fired on its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

“Heavy machine gun rounds hit approximately five meters from the peacekeepers, who were on foot and had to take shelter in the terrain,” the UNIFIL said in a statement.

The mission said UN peacekeepers asked the Israeli army to stop firing through UNIFIL’s liaison channels.

No injuries were reported.

UNIFIL said the attack, which occurred near a position erected by Israel inside Lebanese territory, represents a “serious violation” of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

It called on the army to “cease any aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers, who are working to support the return to the stability that both Israel and Lebanon say they seek.”

Resolution 1701, adopted on Aug. 11, 2006, calls for a cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line and Lebanon’s Litani River.

Tensions have been mounting in southern Lebanon for weeks, with the Israeli army intensifying near-daily air raids inside Lebanese territory, allegedly targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure.

The Israeli army has killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 in its attacks on Lebanon, which began in October 2023 and turned into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.

Under a ceasefire declared in November 2024, the Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon this January, but instead only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.