France and Italy have condemned an incident in which UN troops were targeted by the Israeli army in southern Lebanon, demanding explanations from Israel.
The attack resulted in injuries to two peacekeepers at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that France expresses its deep concern following the attack condemns any attack on the security of UNIFIL.
It added that none of its 700 troops in the mission had been wounded.
Nonetheless, the ministry asserted, “We await explanations from the Israeli authorities,” adding that the protection of peacekeepers is an obligation that applies to all parties to a conflict.
Italy’s Defence Minister, Guido Crosetto also expressed concern at a press conference in Rome, saying that the attack could constitute war crimes.
“What took place does not have a military justification. We are waiting for a response to understand what led to these actions. These shots were not fired by mistake.”
Guido Crosetto
Additionally, the Spanish government strongly condemned the Israeli attack on the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, in southern Lebanon, that wounded two peacekeepers.
In a statement, it said attacks against peacekeeping operations a very serious violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution 1701.
The government also demanded that the safety of UNIFIL peacekeepers is guaranteed.
Separately, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell slammed what he described as another line being “dangerously crossed in Lebanon.”
He stressed that there was no justification”for such an “inadmissible” act, adding that the EU “reiterates its full support” to the UN peacekeeping mission.
Speaking to a news agency, Andrea Tenenti, the spokesperson for UNIFIL, disclosed that the Israeli attack that wounded two peacekeepers in southern Lebanon was a very serious and concerning development.
He said that luckily, they were not seriously injured but the incident was just one of several in recent days in which Israeli forces shelled UNIFIL positions.
Tenenti said that the UNIFILwas in discussion with Israeli authorities “to understand what happened” but stressed that targeting peacekeepers is a very serious violation, not only of Resolution 1701 but also of international humanitarian law.
He said the Israeli military had previously asked UNIFIL peacekeepers to move from certain positions along the Blue Line, but “we decided to stay because it’s important for the UN flag to fly in [the] south of Lebanon.”
“If the situation becomes impossible for the mission to operate in the south of Lebanon … it will be up to the Security Council to decide how to move forward.
“At the moment, we are staying, we are trying to do whatever we can to monitor [and] to provide assistance.”
Andrea Tenenti
Israel Preparing To Invade Lebanon, Not Create A Buffer Zone
According to Military Analyst, Elijah Magnier, the incident is not the first time UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL has been under fire from Israel since it began its presence in Lebanon. “We’re talking about 1978. In 1982, the UNFIL position came under fire. In 1996, a compound … came under fire,” he said, adding the incident resulted in the deaths of 106 civilians.
He said this is happening because Israel needs to go through the UNIFIL position in Naqoura and “start the invasion of Lebanon, and this axis is vital for the Israeli army.”
Magnier said that the number of Israeli troops ready to enter Lebanon is huge.
Magnier said, “We’re talking about 70-80,000. This is not to create a small buffer zone,” as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated, adding they are there “to invade Lebanon.”
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