Israel denies it was behind attack that wounded UN staff
ISRAEL yesterday angrily denied any responsibility after three United Nations observers and a translator were wounded by shelling in southern Lebanon.
The Unifil peacekeeping mission confirmed the injuries to its staff that happened in the border village of Rmeish on Saturday.
Lebanon’s state news agency reported that an Israeli drone strike was behind the explosion that led to the observers being hurt – but the Israeli military denied that it had been responsible.
Unifil said those hurt were receiving treatment and it was investigating the blast’s origin.
Evacuated
It added that the targeting of its peacekeepers was wholly “unacceptable” and that the wounded staff had been evacuated for treatment.
The Israeli Defence Forces yesterday denied any involvement, insisting: “Contrary to the reports, the IDF did not strike a Unifil vehicle in the area of Rmeish.”
But Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati spoke to Unifil commander Aroldo Lazaro, condemning the “targeting” and wounding of staff.
Milad Alam, mayor of Rmeish, said he had spoken to the Lebanese translator and confirmed his condition was stable.
He added: “We heard a blast and then saw a Unifil car zipping by.The foreign observers were taken to hospitals in Tyre and Beirut by helicopter and car.”
One of the observers was a Norwegian, who was lightly injured, Oslo’s defence ministry said. Lebanon’s national news agency said the other two wounded observers were Chilean and Australian.
Unifil, as well as unarmed technical observers known as Untso, are stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the “Blue Line” between Lebanon and Israel.
Lebanese armed terror group Hezbollah has been trading fire with the Israeli military across the line since October in parallel with the war in Gaza.
Israel’s shelling of Lebanon has killed nearly 270 Hezbollah fighters. It has also killed around 50 civilians – including children, medics and journalists – and hit both Unifil and the Lebanese army.
Unifil last month said that the Israeli military violated international law by firing on a group of clearly identifiable journalists, killing Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah. Joanna Wronecka, the UN’s Special Coordinator for Lebanon, said she was “saddened” to learn of the injuries and that the incident served as “another reminder of the urgent need to return to a cessation of hostilities across the Blue Line”.
The US and other countries have sought to secure a diplomatic resolution to the exchanges of fire. But Hezbollah said it will not halt before a ceasefire in Gaza.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the shelling and called for the safety of peacekeepers to be ensured.
His spokesman said: “These hostile actions have not only disrupted the livelihoods of thousands of people but they also pose a grave threat to the security and stability of Lebanon, Israel, and the region.”