UNIFIL vehicles rammed

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Israeli soldiers rammed two of its vehicles with a Merkava tank on April 12 in southern Lebanon. (unmissions.org) The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said one of the two incidents caused “significant damage.” It said Israeli soldiers had also blocked a road in Bayada that UNIFIL uses to reach its positions. (unmissions.org) UNIFIL said Israeli soldiers fired “warning shots” over the past week that struck and damaged clearly marked United Nations vehicles in the same area. In one case, the mission said, a shot landed about one meter from a peacekeeper who had gotten out of his vehicle. (unmissions.org) The mission said Israeli soldiers had also destroyed force-protection cameras since early April at its headquarters in Naqoura and at five other positions along the Blue Line, the United Nations-demarcated line between Lebanon and Israel. It said soldiers spray-painted the windows of the headquarters’ pedestrian gate on April 11, blocking visibility to the outside perimeter. (unmissions.org) UNIFIL said the incidents violated United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, the 2006 measure that expanded its mandate after the Israel-Hezbollah war and tasked the force with monitoring the cessation of hostilities in southern Lebanon. The mission said the restrictions were hindering its ability to report violations by both sides to the Security Council. (unmissions.org 1) (unmissions.org 2) UNIFIL has operated in southern Lebanon since 1978, and the Security Council broadened its role in August 2006 to support the Lebanese armed forces and help secure humanitarian access after the monthlong war between Israel and Hezbollah. The force says it remains in position despite the latest incidents. (unmissions.org) The latest complaint follows a string of deadly incidents involving peacekeepers in recent weeks. UNIFIL said on March 30 that two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed and two others were wounded when an explosion destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan, and the mission held a memorial in Beirut on April 2. (unmissions.org 1) (unmissions.org 2) Agence France-Presse, cited by multiple outlets on April 12, reported that Israel and Hezbollah have been at war since March and that one preliminary United Nations investigation found one Indonesian peacekeeper was killed by Israeli tank fire, while two others were killed by an improvised explosive device likely planted by Hezbollah. (alarabiya.net) The Israel Defense Forces had not issued a public response in the sources reviewed by late April 12. UNIFIL said it would continue to report what it observes on the ground as the mission’s mandate runs through the end of 2026. (jpost.com) (unmissions.org)