A peacekeeper of the United Nations has been injure in southern Lebanon after getting shot, reported the UN Interim Force in Lebanon Unifil ; thus it is the fifth symptom of being hit by gunfire after recent developments in the multinational force.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Unifil said the peacekeeper was injured at its headquarters on Friday night as “hostile military activity” went on in the vicinity, adding that it did not know where the gunfire had come from.
“Bullet surgery was done on him in our Naqoura hospital, and he is now stable,” a spokesman declared.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden said there was “absolutely, positively” every reason to press Israel to stop firing on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon following two earlier episodes on Thursday and Friday.
Israeli troops have commenced their advancement in southern Lebanon as part of a rise in hostilities with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. For over a year, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging rounds of fire across their border.
Israeli forces reiterated their appeal to UN peacekeepers to leave their positions. On Saturday, a spokesperson for Unifil reported that there was a “unanimous decision” to stay in the border region.
Unifil said on Friday night that buildings in the village were “severely damaged” due to explosions during fighting nearby.
“The mission calls on all actors to respect their obligation to ensure the safety of Unifil personnel and premises, including by refraining from any combat activities close to Unifil positions,” the statement said.
On Friday, the IDF admitted its troops were behind the incident, which resulted in injuries to two Sri Lankan soldiers also in Naqoura.
Israeli soldiers on the ground called fire in response to an apparent threat from near the base, and an imminent investigation is assured “at the highest levels.”
The Sri Lankan foreign ministry described the attack as “very strongly condemned.”
On Thursday, two Indonesian peacekeepers sustained injuries by falling from an observation tower when Israeli tanks fired toward it.
Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, head of the Irish Defence Forces, has said he does not believe Thursday’s strike was an accident.
“An observation tower with a tank round slamming directly into it, a tiny target, has to be deliberate,” he told Irish broadcaster RTE.
“It is in no way an accidental act from a military perspective. It is a direct act.
“Whether it was indiscipline or directed, either way, it is unconscionable or unacceptable.”
The leaders of France, Italy, and Spain are also condemning Israel’s actions, considering it always unjustifiable and calling for it to cease immediately.
The Lebanese health ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes had killed nine in villages north and south of Beirut.
The Israeli Defense Forces told residents of 23 southern Lebanese villages to evacuate to areas north of the Awali river.
Hezbollah kept the volley toward Israel, with the IDF observing 320 projectiles, with some of them being intercepted.
