Israel Fires on UN Peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon, UNIFIL Calls Incident a ‘Serious Violation’

Israeli forces opened fire on United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Sunday, an incident the UN mission described as a serious breach of international agreements. No peacekeepers were injured.

According to the Israeli military, soldiers had been pursuing two suspected infiltrators in the El Hamames area near the border and only later realized they had fired on UN personnel. The misidentification was attributed to poor weather conditions, and the incident is under review, the military said.

UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, said Israeli troops fired from a Merkava tank positioned inside Lebanese territory, directing heavy machine-gun fire that struck the ground about five meters from peacekeepers patrolling on foot. The peacekeepers were forced to take cover, the mission said.

The tank pulled back after UNIFIL contacted the Israeli military through established channels.

UNIFIL condemned the incident as a “serious violation” of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which bars any armed presence in southern Lebanon except UN peacekeepers and Lebanese armed forces.

Lebanon’s military said Israel’s repeated violations of its sovereignty undermine stability and hamper its ability to operate in the south.

Israel maintains five military positions inside Lebanese territory and regularly conducts airstrikes in the country’s south, which it says target Hezbollah.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah reached last year required the militant group to remain disarmed in the south and obligated Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanon. Israel accuses Hezbollah of attempting to rebuild its arsenal, while Lebanon says Israel continues to violate the agreement by refusing to withdraw and conducting ongoing airstrikes.