File image, via the UNIFIL account on X.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that one of their vehicles was targeted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on November 25, amid a halt in the cross-border clashes which broke out after the start of the war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
The vehicle was hit by IDF gunfire in the vicinity of the southern Lebanese town of Aytaroun, the peacekeeping mission said in a statement, adding that the vehicle was damaged but not peacekeepers were injured.
“This attack on peacekeepers, dedicated to reducing tensions and restoring stability in south Lebanon, is deeply troubling. We condemn this act and underscore the parties’ responsibility to safeguard peacekeepers, preventing unnecessary risks to those striving to establish stability,” the statement reads. “We strongly remind the parties of their obligations to protect peacekeepers and avoid putting the men and women who are working to restore stability at risk.”
The Israeli attack on the UNIFIL came amid a period of relative calm on the Lebanese Front. Hezbollah paused operations against the IDF as a temporary ceasefire in Gaza entered into effect on November 24 morning, despite not being a part of the agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas Movement.
The IDF has not yet commented on the accusations made by the UNIFIL’s. However, in the morning it announced strikes on southern Lebanon in response to the launch of a surface-to-air missile at one of its drones. The missile was intercepted along with two other unidentified aerial targets in the early morning. A fourth aerial target was intercepted by Israeli air defense near the border with Lebanon in the afternoon.
Hezbollah and its allies began launching attacks against the IDF right after the war broke out in Gaza on October 7. The group will likely resume operations if Israel refuses to extended the ceasefire in the Strip.
