Israel ‘demolished’ watchtower in latest attack on UN Lebanon peacekeepers

UNIFIL says Israeli forces ‘deliberately’ damaged 1 of its positions successful confederate Lebanon.

United Nations peacekeepers successful Lebanon person said the Israeli service “deliberately” damaged 1 of their positions successful confederate Lebanon, successful the latest incidental reported by the unit that remains deployed successful each of its positions.

An Israeli “army bulldozer deliberately demolished an reflection operation and perimeter obstruction of a UN position” successful confederate Lebanon, the UN Interim Forces successful Lebanon (UNIFIL) said successful a statement, adding that its forces stay successful each positions “despite the unit being exerted”.

“We punctual the [Israeli forces] and each actors of their obligations to guarantee the information and information of UN unit and spot and to respect the inviolability of UN premises astatine each times,” the connection said.

It called connected Israel to halt breaching UN positions, which is considered “a flagrant usurpation of planetary law”.

Israel had precocious claimed that the Lebanese equipped radical Hezbollah was attacking Israel from positions located successful adjacent proximity to posts of the UN peacekeeping forces successful confederate Lebanon – an accusation that Hezbollah denies.

On Wednesday, UNIFIL said that an Israeli vessel had fired connected 1 of its watchtowers successful confederate Lebanon.

This came aft UN peacekeepers successful Lebanon had come nether occurrence respective times days before, with astatine slightest 4 soldiers injured.

Last week UNIFIL said 2 Israeli tanks “destroyed” the main gate astatine 1 of its positions successful confederate Lebanon and “forcibly entered the position”.

Israel has fired connected respective front-line UNIFIL positions since it launched a crushed incursion into confederate Lebanon successful aboriginal October, claiming it aims to dismantle the infrastructure of Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese radical that has been trading occurrence with the Israeli service successful solidarity with Palestinians successful Gaza.

Israel’s strikes person been wide condemned, including by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said that attacks against UN peacekeepers were a usurpation of planetary instrumentality and “may represent a warfare crime”.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that helium demands Guterres get UNIFIL troops retired of “combat zones”, alleging that their beingness was providing a “human shield” for Hezbollah.

But the UN maintains that the ngo – with members from 50 countries – is not going anywhere.

UNIFIL has monitored the borderline portion betwixt Israel and Lebanon since 1978. More than 10,000 troops from much than 50 countries person been deployed to the mission.

Netanyahu has been pushing for the removal of UN peacekeepers arsenic Israel escalates its attacks successful confederate Lebanon.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies