United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon have warned towards a “catastrophic” regional battle as Israeli forces battled Hezbollah and Hamas militants on two fronts, on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Israel has confronted a fierce diplomatic backlash over . A fifth peacekeeper was struck by gunfire late Friday, nevertheless it wasn’t clear if it got here from Israel or Hezbollah.
Forty nations that contribute to UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping power in Lebanon, mentioned Saturday that they “strongly condemn latest assaults” on the peacekeepers.
“Such actions should cease instantly and ought to be adequately investigated,” mentioned the joint assertion, posted on X by the Polish UN mission and signed by nations together with main contributors Indonesia, Italy and India.
Different signatories embrace Ghana, Nepal, Malaysia, Spain, France and China — all international locations which have contributed a number of hundred troops to the power.
The signatories “reaffirm our full help for UNIFIL’s mission and actions, whose principal purpose is to deliver stabilisation and lasting peace in south Lebanon in addition to within the Center East,” the assertion learn.
“We urge the events of the battle to respect UNIFIL’s presence, which entails the duty to ensure the protection and safety of its personnel always,” it added.
What does UNIFIL do?
UNIFIL, which entails about 9,500 troops of some 50 nationalities, is tasked with monitoring a ceasefire that ended a 33-day battle in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah.
Its function was bolstered by UN Safety Council Decision 1701 of that 12 months, which stipulated that solely the Lebanese military and UN peacekeepers ought to be deployed in south Lebanon.
UNIFIL mentioned that, in latest days, its forces have “repeatedly” come underneath hearth within the Lebanese city of Naqura the place it’s headquartered, in addition to in different positions.
At a summit on Friday, French, Italian and Spanish leaders mentioned violated Decision 1701 and should finish.
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti informed Agence France-Presse the peacekeeping mission’s work had change into “very troublesome as a result of there’s plenty of injury, even contained in the bases”.
However he added: “There was a unanimous determination to remain as a result of it is essential for the UN flag to nonetheless fly excessive on this area, and to have the ability to report back to the Safety Council.”
Tenenti mentioned he feared an Israeli escalation towards Hezbollah may quickly spiral “right into a regional battle with catastrophic impression for everybody”.
There’s “no navy resolution”, he mentioned.
‘Everyone seems to be susceptible to demise’
Lebanon’s well being ministry mentioned Saturday that Israeli air strikes on three websites had killed not less than 15 individuals.
Israel had earlier informed residents of south Lebanon to not return house, as its troops fought Hezbollah militants in an escalation that has killed greater than 1,200 individuals since 23 September.
Greater than 1,000,000 individuals have been pressured to flee their houses, Lebanese authorities say.
Hezbollah mentioned it had fired missiles into northern Israel, the place air raid sirens sounded and the navy mentioned it had intercepted a projectile.
The Iran-backed militant group has stepped up its assaults on targets in and round Israel’s predominant northern metropolis of Haifa.
Israel’s navy mentioned Hezbollah fired about 320 projectiles into Israel over the weekend of Yom Kippur, which ended at dusk.
It additionally mentioned roughly 280 “terror targets” had been attacked in Lebanon and Gaza over the identical interval.
For the third time, Israel declared a “closed navy space” alongside the Lebanese border in northern Israel.
Such measures since late September have preceded .
In Gaza, the IDF is besieging an space round Jabalia within the north, inflicting extra struggling for a whole bunch of hundreds of individuals trapped there, in accordance with the UN company for Palestinian refugees, .
“There isn’t any secure place, neither within the south nor within the north — everyone seems to be susceptible to demise,” Sami Asliya, 27, informed Agence France-Presse.
On Friday, Gaza’s civil defence company reported 30 individuals killed in Israeli strikes within the space, together with on colleges sheltering displaced individuals.
Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 assault by which greater than 1,200 individuals, together with an estimated 30 kids, had been killed and over 200 hostages taken, in accordance with the Israeli authorities. Greater than 42,000 individuals have been killed in Gaza since October 7, in accordance with the well being ministry in Gaza.
The October 7 assault was a major escalation within the long-standing battle between Israel and Hamas.