UNIFIL reports direct fire by Israel near peacekeeping post
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that direct fire from the Israeli army had hit the perimeter of one of its peacekeeping positions in south Lebanon.
In a statement, UNIFIL said the incident yesterday was the first of its kind since Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last November.
UNIFIL sits on the international committee created to supervise the ceasefire agreement that kicked in on 27 November and ended more than two months of all-out war between Israel and the pro-Iranian militant group.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the incident, in which UNIFIL said one of its bases in the village of Kfar Shouba in southern Lebanon was hit.
"In recent days, UNIFIL has also observed other aggressive behaviour by the IDF (Israeli military) towards peacekeepers performing operational activities in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701," it said, referring to a UN resolution originally adopted in 2006 to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Yesterday's incident occurred near the Blue Line, a UN-mapped demarcation separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Any unauthorised crossing of the Blue Line by land or by air from any side constitutes a violation of Security Council Resolution 1701.
UNIFIL cited other alleged incidents it blamed on the Israeli army, including being targeted by lasers while it was performing a patrol with the Lebanese army in the southern border town of Maroun al-Ras.
Israel has continued to occasionally strike areas in south Lebanon, saying that it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
UNIFIL is concerned by the recent aggressive posture of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) involving UNIFIL personnel and assets near the Blue Line, including yesterday's incident in which a direct fire hit the perimeter of a UNIFIL position south of the village of Kfar Shouba.
— UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) May 14, 2025
It has also struck the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut several times.
The ceasefire terms require that neither Hezbollah nor any other armed group have weapons in areas near the border south of the Litani river, which flows into the Mediterranean some 20km north of the Israeli border.
They require Israel to withdraw troops from the south and that the Lebanese army deploy into the border region.
Israel has largely completed its withdrawal, though it insisted on keeping its forces at five points inside Lebanon that it considers strategic and has repeatedly launched strikes inside the country.
Lebanon and Israel have accused each other of failing to fully implement the deal. Israel still has troops on five hilltop positions in the south.
Rockets have been fired from Lebanon towards Israel twice, though Hezbollah denied any role.
Israel killed thousands of Hezbollah fighters in the war, destroyed much of its arsenal and eliminated its top leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah.
The war spiralled after Hezbollah opened fire at the beginning of the Gaza war, declaring solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas.
At the height of the fighting last October, the peacekeeping force accused Israel of having hit its positions or peacekeepers at least 20 times.
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