2 UN peacekeepers injured in explosions in S. Lebanon

BEIRUT, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Friday that two peacekeepers were injured in two explosions near a watchtower in the Lebanese border area of Labbouneh.
According to a UNIFIL post on X, several walls at the UN position near the Blue Line in Labbouneh collapsed when an Israeli caterpillar struck the perimeter, and Israeli tanks moved close to the UN position.
UNIFIL said that its peacekeepers remained on site and that a rapid reaction force was dispatched to assist and reinforce the area.
These incidents place the UN peacekeepers in “extremely grave danger,” it noted, stressing the need to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the sanctity of UN premises at all times.
The UN body condemned the attack, saying “any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution 1701.”
On Thursday, UNIFIL said in a statement that two of its members were injured after an Israeli Merkava tank fired towards a watchtower at its headquarters in Naqoura.
Israeli soldiers on Wednesday deliberately fired at and disabled surveillance cameras around the site, and it also deliberately fired at UN observation post 1-32A in Ras al-Naqoura where regular tripartite meetings were held before the conflict, damaging lighting and a relay station, the UNIFIL said.
Since early October, the Israeli army has been carrying out specific ground operations against Hezbollah targets near the Lebanese border, and intensifying its airstrikes and artillery shelling, especially on the southern suburbs of Beirut, the stronghold of Hezbollah.
Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has been conducting an intensive air attack on Lebanon in an escalation with Hezbollah, which has been exchanging fire with the Israeli army across the Lebanese-Israeli border since Oct. 8, 2023. ■