By Two Indonesian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) have been injured after an Israeli tank reportedly fired at a UN watchtower in southern Lebanon, according to a statement from the UN on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a Unifil base in Naqoura, where an observation tower was directly hit, causing the peacekeepers to fall. While the injuries are not reported to be serious, both peacekeepers have been hospitalized.
Unifil spokesperson Andrea Tenenti expressed alarm over the situation, stating that Israeli forces had “repeatedly hit” UN positions in the last 24 hours. This includes accusations of Israeli soldiers deliberately targeting cameras and lights at two other Unifil bases.
“We are deeply concerned by the Israeli army’s activity in the area where our peacekeeping troops are based,” Tenenti told the BBC. He emphasized that the positions hit are well-known UN sites and called for discussions with Israeli authorities to “understand what happened.”
In a separate but related incident, Israeli forces allegedly fired at another Unifil base in Naqoura, damaging the entrance to a bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, as well as vehicles and communication systems. An Israeli drone was also spotted flying above the bunker entrance.
The UN has strongly condemned these actions, describing deliberate attacks on its peacekeepers as “a grave violation of international law.”
This escalation comes as Israel continues its ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which began on September 30. Currently, four divisions of Israeli soldiers are reportedly engaged in combat inside Lebanese territory.
Unifil, established in 1978, operates along the Blue Line — the unofficial boundary separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The force comprises around 10,000 military peacekeepers from 50 countries, with Indonesia contributing the largest contingent of over 1,200 troops.
The incident has drawn international criticism, with Italy’s defense minister calling it “intolerable” and Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris emphasizing that “the Blue Helmet worn by UN peacekeepers must be sacrosanct.”
As tensions continue to rise in the region, with ongoing exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, the safety of UN peacekeepers and their ability to carry out their mandate remain under significant threat.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have not yet commented on the incident.
