UN says Israeli tanks invaded peacekeepers base
Soon after the tanks left, shells exploded 100 meters away, releasing smoke that spread across the base and affected UN staff, with 15 people demanding treatment despite wearing gas masks, the force said. The organization did not say who fired the projectiles or what type of toxic substance it suspected.
It also accused the Israeli IDF army of disrupting a logistics convoy. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to the statement.
“Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and Resolution 1701,” the UN force said. “UNIFIL’s mandate provides for its freedom of movement within its area of operations, and any restriction on this is a violation of Resolution 1701. We request an explanation from the IDF regarding these shocking violations”
In his previous statement addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu said: “The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and combat zones.”
“The IDF has repeatedly requested this and been refused multiple times, which has the effect of providing human shields to Hezbollah terrorists.”
The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, which Israel has been fighting on the ground since it launched an incursion earlier this month, denies Israel’s accusation that it uses the proximity of peacekeepers as protection.
