Israel has been accused by the United Nations of carrying out an assault on a peacekeeping patrol amidst a period of ceasefire.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has accused the Israeli military of attacking a peacekeeping patrol on Saturday.
The incident, which took place during a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, occurred at around midday, near the Lebanese village of Aytaroun on the border with Israel and 125 kilometers from the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
According to UNIFIL, it happened “during a period of relative calm along the Blue Line.”
In a statement, the UN peacekeepers reported that an IDF gunfire struck a UNIFIL patrol in the southern region of Lebanon, near Aytaroun, at approximately 12 pm today.
According to RT, there have been frequent clashes between the IDF and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October. AFP news agency reports that these exchanges of fire have resulted in the deaths of 109 individuals in Lebanon. Among the casualties are 77 Hezbollah fighters, 14 civilians, and three journalists.
Last month UNIFIL, which was created by the UN Security Council in 1978 to observe Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, said that that one of its members was injured in an artillery strike on the mission’s base near the village of Houla on the border.
Following the announcement of the four-day Gaza truce on Friday, Hezbollah said it would adhere to the terms of the ceasefire if Israel did, according to a Hezbollah source cited by Al Jazeera.
The UN peacekeeping mission strongly condemned Saturday’s attack, calling it “deeply troubling” and urging all sides in the conflict to “safeguard peacekeepers.” UNIFIL warned on Friday that further escalation in southern Lebanon could result in “devastating consequences,” and urged all sides to “halt this cycle of violence.”
Israel has not yet commented on the incident. Previously, the IDF stated that it was striking targets belonging to Hezbollah in response to rockets fired into nothern Israel.
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