Israeli forces fire at UN position in Lebanon; 22 killed in Beirut strike

Israeli forces fired at a watchtower used by United Nations (UN) peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Friday, injuring two, a UN source said, the third day in a row peacekeepers have reported Israeli fire at their positions as Israel wages war on Hizbullah.
An Israeli strike late on Thursday in the heart of Beirut killed 22 people and injured more than 100, Lebanese authorities said. The target was a senior Hizbullah official – Wafiq Safa – who survived, according to three security sources.
In a statement on Friday afternoon, the Defence Forces confirmed that all Irish personnel are well and accounted for, and had not been directly affected by incoming fire.
Unifil said that two peacekeepers were injured after its Naqoura headquarters was affected by explosions for the second time in 48 hours. One of the personnel was taken to a hospital in Tyre after an explosion occurred close to an observation tower, while the second is being treated in Naqoura.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) caterpillar demolished several walls at UN position 1-31, near the Blue Line in Labbouneh, and its tanks moved near the position, added the Unifil statement. “Our peacekeepers remained at the location, and a Unifil Quick Reaction Force was dispatched to assist and reinforce the position.” Unifil described it as a “serious development” that puts UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon at very serious risks.
In northern Israel, a Thai worker was killed when Hizbullah fired an anti-tank missile at a farming area, the national ambulance service said. The Israeli air force killed a Hizbullah commander responsible for attacks with anti-tank missiles into the area of Ramot Naftali in northern Israel, the military said.
Hizbullah issued no immediate comment on that claim.
The conflict between Israel and Hizbullah erupted one year ago when the Iranian-backed group opened fire in support of Palestinian militant group Hamas at the start of the Gaza war.
It has intensified dramatically in recent weeks, with Israel bombing Beirut’s southern suburbs, the south and the Bekaa Valley, killing many of Hezbollah’s top leaders, and sending ground troops into areas of southern Lebanon.
[ Harris says Israel Defense Forces firing at UN positions and peacekeepers ‘utterly unacceptable’Opens in new window ]
On Thursday, Unifil said another two peacekeepers were wounded when an Israeli tank fired at a watchtower at the same base, hitting it and causing them to fall.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Friday’s reported incidents.
In New York on Thursday, Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon said Israel recommends Unifil relocate 5km (3 miles) north “to avoid danger as fighting intensifies”.
Israel’s military said in a statement on Thursday that its troops operated in the Naqoura area, “next to a Unfil base”.
“Accordingly, the IDF instructed the U.N. forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, following which the forces opened fire in the area,” Israel’s statement said, adding it maintains routine communication with Unifil.
UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council on Thursday that the safety of more than 10,400 U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon is “increasingly in jeopardy” and operations have virtually halted since late September.
The White House said the US was deeply concerned by reports that Israeli forces fired on UN positions and was pressing Israel for details.
Israel says its campaign in Lebanon aims to secure the return home for tens of thousands of people forced to leave northern Israel due to Hizbullah rocket fire over the last year.
Israel’s offensive has uprooted more than 1 million people in Lebanon in the last few weeks.
The Middle East remains on high alert for further escalation in the region, awaiting Israel’s response to an Iranian missile strike on October 1st.
US vice-president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said de-escalation was needed.
“We have got to reach a ceasefire,” Harris told reporters as she departed Las Vegas, while commenting on the situations in Gaza and Lebanon. “We’ve got to de-escalate.”
A ceasefire remains elusive in Gaza and Lebanon. Washington’s occasional condemnation of Israel over civilian deaths has mostly been verbal with no substantive change in policy. – Reuters