Israel bombards UN mission headquarters

Israeli troops have bombarded the headquarters of the UN mission UNIFIL, causing the first casualties among the ranks of the peacekeepers since the start of the Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon in October.

According to the United Nations, an Israeli army tank fired on a UN observation post and injured at least 2 peacekeepers.The Israeli army has so far provided no details or confirmation of the incident. Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon suggested that the UN mission withdraw from the combat zone. "Our recommendation is that UNIFIL relocate five kilometers to the north," he said. This would "avoid dangers" in view of the intensifying fighting.

The EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrel declared that another dangerous line had been crossed in Lebanon. Every single attack on peacekeepers is a violation of international humanitarian law and UN Security Council Resolution 1701.  The perpetrators of the attack must be held fully accountable. Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto describes the act as a possible war crime. "It was not an oversight or an accident," he said. The French Foreign Ministry is also demanding an explanation from the Israeli government.

The shelling occurred in Nakura in southern Lebanon, where the UNIFIL mission has its headquarters. The town was hit several times, but the two soldiers were not seriously injured. Another UNFIL bunker, in which UN soldiers had sought shelter, was also shelled by Israel. A communications system and UN vehicles were damaged.

The UN mission has been monitoring the Israeli-Lebanese border region for decades. More than 10,000 UN soldiers from various countries are involved in the mission, including Germans.  A spokesman for the Bundeswehr's Operations Command said no German soldiers were hit in the attacks.

At the beginning of October, Israel launched a ground offensive against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, and the risk of clashes with UN soldiers and Lebanese soldiers is increasing. The Lebanese army is not directly involved in the conflict.