Austria says 8 nationals within UN peacekeeper force in Lebanon injured in Israeli attack

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Eight Austrian nationals belonging to UN peacekeepers force in Lebanon have been injured in an Israeli rocket attack, the Austrian foreign minister said Tuesday.

On X, Alexander Schallenberg said that he is "outraged" by today's attack on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

"The safety & security of the blue helmets must be guaranteed at all times. Attacks on (UN) peacekeepers are a grave violation of international law and totally unacceptable," he wrote on X.

UNIFIL operates between the Litani River in southern Lebanon and the Blue Line, which serves as the border with Israel, as part of its mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to maintain security in the region.

Israel has mounted a huge air campaign in Lebanon since last month against what it claims are Hezbollah targets in an escalation from year-long cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah since the start of Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Israel expanded the conflict this year by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.