An alarming incident unfolded on Sunday in southern Lebanon after Israeli military forces mistakenly opened fire on United Nations peacekeepers patrolling near the border. Although no injuries were reported, the situation has drawn strong condemnation from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which labelled the act a “serious violation” of international agreements.
According to Israel’s military, soldiers opened fire on what they believed were two suspicious individuals in the El Hamames area, close to the border. It was only after shots had been discharged that they realised the individuals were UN peacekeepers. Israeli authorities attributed the misidentification to poor weather conditions and confirmed that the incident is currently under review.
UNIFIL, however, provided a more detailed account, stating that Israeli forces fired from a Merkava tank that had moved inside Lebanese territory. The peacekeepers, who were on foot at the time, came under heavy machine-gun fire that struck the ground roughly five metres from their position, forcing them to take immediate cover. The firing ceased only after UN peacekeepers contacted the Israeli military through established communication channels, prompting the tank to withdraw.
The U.N. mission emphasised that the incident blatantly breaches U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701—a binding resolution that prohibits the presence or activity of armed forces in southern Lebanon except for UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese Armed Forces. The resolution was instituted to maintain stability and prevent escalation in the region.
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