Israeli Soldiers Open Fire on UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon

Israeli soldiers opened fire on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. According to UNIFIL, the attacks occurred near the blue line that separates Lebanon, Israel, and the Golan Heights.

Following an explosion from a grenade in the vicinity, a UNIFIL patrol checking a checkpoint in the village of Bastara was subjected to intense machine gun fire from Israeli forces located south of the line designated by the UN.

The incident took place near the patrol's location. As a result of the explosion and gunfire, one peacekeeper suffered a mild concussion, but UNIFIL's equipment was not damaged.

In a second incident, in the village of Kfar Shouba, another UNIFIL patrol conducting a routine mission reported machine gun fire from the Israeli side of the blue line near their positions.

UNIFIL stated that it had previously informed the Israel Defense Forces about the activities in both areas, following the “routine patrol practices in sensitive areas near the blue line.” The mission has called on the Israeli side to “cease aggressive behavior and attacks on peacekeepers.” At the time of publication, the Israel Defense Forces had not commented on the incidents.