Norway condemns Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) – Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide on Monday condemned Israel's military attacks on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters and critical positions of the peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.

On Sunday, Israeli tanks forced entry into one of UNIFIL's positions in the latest series of violations and attacks by the Israeli military, which injured several peacekeeping troops.

"Forced entry of a UN position is a breach of international law. UNIFIL is in Lebanon with a clear mandate from the Security Council. I strongly condemn any attack on UN peacekeepers and I urge Israel to respect international law," Eide said in a statement.

All parties must adhere to UN Security Council resolution 1701, said Eide.

On Saturday, all 40 countries contributing to the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon "strongly" condemned the Israeli attacks and called for an investigation.

"Such actions must stop immediately and should be adequately investigated," they said in a statement.

UNIFIL was established as interim force in 1978 to help restore peace in the region and as a confirmation of Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims Hezbollah targets killing more than 2,000 people, injuring thousands, and displacing more than 1.2 million people.

The aerial campaign was an escalation in yearlong cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Tel Aviv’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed over 42,000 people, mostly women and children.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East region was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching on Oct. 1 a ground invasion into southern Lebanon.