"Deliberate fire"

UNIFIL: Israeli tank fired on watchtower

A vehicle of the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL in Lebanon

(Bild: AFP)

According to UN soldiers in Lebanon, an Israeli tank has fired on one of their watchtowers. The Merkava tank opened fire in the morning near Kfar Kela, the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL said in a statement on Wednesday. The turret was damaged and two cameras were destroyed. There was initially no statement from Israel.

"Once again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a UNIFIL position," the statement said. The UN observers called on the Israeli military "and other actors" to fulfill their obligations and ensure the safety of UN personnel and property. The inviolability of the United Nations and its property must be respected.

UN positions shelled again and again
Since the beginning of an Israeli ground operation against Hezbollah militia positions in the south of Lebanon, UNIFIL positions have also been shelled. Five blue helmets were injured. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called on the UN to withdraw UNIFIL troops from the combat zones in southern Lebanon. However, the European troop contributors rejected this request after a joint video conference on Wednesday.

Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP), who took part in the talks, subsequently reported that the 16 EU countries involved were in agreement "that the mission will remain in place". "A withdrawal or non-fulfilment of the mandate would call into question or undermine the significance and importance of the United Nations. We must not allow this to happen, especially in the current phase," Tanner emphasized to APA. The ministers also agreed that attacks against UN soldiers "would be seen as a breach of international humanitarian law".

160 Austrian soldiers in Lebanon
Around 160 Austrian soldiers are currently stationed in Lebanon. The most heavily involved European countries include Italy with a good 1,000 soldiers, Spain with around 680 and France with 670. The UNIFIL peacekeeping force, which has been stationed in Lebanon since 1978, comprises a total of more than 10,000 soldiers and civilian staff. Since Resolution 1701 was passed by the UN Security Council after the Lebanon war in 2006, the tasks of the blue helmet force have been significantly expanded. Among other things, the resolution stipulates that only UNIFIL and Lebanese army troops should be deployed in the border area with Israel. Hezbollah remained there regardless. Israel is also violating Resolution 1701 with its military activities in southern Lebanon.

(Bild: APA/AFP)

In an interview, Netanyahu declared that he had "absolutely nothing against UNIFIL". "It is true that Hezbollah often hides behind UNIFIL positions to fire rockets at us," Netanyahu told Le Figaro. He regretted that Resolution 1701 had not been implemented since 2006. The Lebanese militia "has dug hundreds of tunnels and hiding places in which we have just found a lot of state-of-the-art Russian weapons. How many Hezbollah rockets has UNIFIL fended off in almost twenty years? Zero!" said the Israeli Prime Minister.