(VOVWORLD) – The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced on October 10 that two of its employees were injured in the bombardment by an Israeli tank of a watchtower located at the headquarters of UNIFIL in the Ras al-Naqoura region in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military has not officially confirmed this incident. However, a statement released in the evening said that the Israel Defense Forces fought in the Naqoura area on October 10, near the UNIFIL base. According to Israeli media, with this announcement, the IDF confirmed that its tanks had opened fire on the UNIFIL base, injuring UN personnel.
Faced with this new development, many countries have expressed their concerns and condemned Israel’s actions.
The strongest condemnation comes from Italy, which is the main contributor to UNIFIL. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stressed that the shooting at the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon was unacceptable. Earlier, the Italian Defense Ministry also summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome to express its objections.
The same day, the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing deep concern over the incident and calling on Israeli authorities to provide an explanation. Similarly, Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that the shooting of peacekeepers by Israeli soldiers was alarming and unacceptable. Canada has demanded the protection of peacekeepers and humanitarian workers as well as all other responders in Lebanon, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
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