UN peacekeepers on Friday accused the Israeli military of damaging certainly one of their south Lebanon positions in a “deliberate and direct” motion towards their forces.
The incident which occurred on Thursday, is like “seven different related incidents” carried out by the Israeli military, the United Nations Interim Drive in Lebanon mentioned in a press release.
It “shouldn’t be a matter of peacekeepers getting caught within the crossfire, however of deliberate and direct actions by the” Israeli military, it mentioned.
Israel despatched floor troops in to southern Lebanon towards the Iran-backed Hezbollah motion in late September.
Two excavators and one bulldozer “destroyed a part of a fence and a concrete construction in a UNIFIL place in Ras Naqura,” UNIFIL mentioned.
“We additionally observe with concern the destruction and elimination this week of two of the blue barrels that mark the UN-delineated line of withdrawal between Lebanon and Israel,” it mentioned, noting that peacekeepers “straight noticed” the Israeli military eradicating certainly one of them.
UNIFIL, presently with greater than 9,300 troops, has been stationed in southern Lebanon since 1978 and is tasked with monitoring the “Blue Line” of demarcation with Israel.
UN Safety Council Decision 1701, which ended the 2006 battle between Israel and Hezbollah, stipulated that solely the Lebanese military and UN peacekeepers needs to be deployed in south Lebanon.
Final month, a UNIFIL spokesman mentioned the power had recorded greater than 30 incidents in October leading to property harm or damage to peacekeepers, about 20 of them from Israeli fireplace or motion.
“Regardless of the unacceptable pressures being exerted on the mission by varied channels, peacekeepers will proceed to undertake our mandated monitoring and reporting duties,” UNIFIL mentioned.
