Renewed shelling

Italy sees “possible war crime”

A Spanish UN soldier observes the border between Israel and Lebanon.

(Bild: APA/AFP/ANWAR AMRO)

In Lebanon, there is growing concern for the safety of the blue helmets in the region and criticism of Israel's army. On Friday, the headquarters of the UN mission UNIFIL came under fire again. According to the United Nations, two people were injured again. Italy's defense minister even speaks of a possible war crime.

According to the United Nations, Israeli troops have fired on the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, injuring at least two UN soldiers. Two men from Indonesia were slightly injured. Israel's military accused the Shiite militia Hezbollah of misusing areas near bases of the blue helmet mission for its own purposes.

Meanwhile, criticism of Israel's actions is growing. "This is unacceptable," said Indonesian UN Ambassador Hari Prabowo. The attack on the UNIFIL base was an attempt to intimidate the peacekeeping mission and the international community. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell wrote on the news platform X that any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Italy wants an "apology from the Israeli government"
Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that the shelling could even constitute a war crime. "We are now waiting for an apology and an explanation from the Israeli government," Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told TV channel RAI 2 on Thursday evening.

UN armored vehicles in front of the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura

(Bild: APA/AFP)

Schallenberg "extremely alarmed"
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg was also "extremely alarmed". "This is completely unacceptable and must stop immediately! Everyone is obliged to ensure the safety of the blue helmets at all times," he wrote on X. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner explained: "We are in constant exchange with the Israeli ambassador in Austria and have made it clear that we do not accept any, even unintentional, endangerment of Austrian troops. In addition, we have reiterated that everyone is committed to not endangering UN troops in the region."

US government also concerned
Turkey expressed sharp criticism. "Israel's attacks on UN forces following its massacres of civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon are an expression of its view that its crimes will go unpunished," said a statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The US government also expressed its concern. Israel is carrying out operations in southern Lebanon "to destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure", said a spokesman for the National Security Council in Washington on Thursday. "During these operations, it is critical that they do not jeopardize the security of UN peacekeepers."