By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) - The UN Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) urged a cease-fire Saturday after intense firing across the Blue Line.
UNIFIL witnessed "intense firing across the Blue Line" on Friday for an "extended period of time and on several points," it said in a statement.
The Blue Line is a demarcation line established by the UN between Lebanon and Israel.
"If the situation continues to escalate, we will most likely see more such tragedies," it said. "Any civilian loss of life is a tragedy and should be prevented at all times."
"This is why we urge everyone to cease-fire and allow us, as peacekeepers, to help find solutions," it added.
Regarding the Alma Shaab attack, UNIFIL said that it knows that Israel struck a position approximately 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the village around 5.20 p.m. local time.
Peacekeepers, a few kilometers from the site, heard gunfire and explosions, it noted.
At this stage, UNIFIL said it cannot, with certainty, know how a group of journalists who were covering the events were hit, and one killed.
The force extended heartfelt condolences to the family of Issam Abdullah, and wished a full and swift recovery to other journalists who were injured.
Journalists covering the tension on the border with Israel in southern Lebanon were attacked Friday. Reuters cameraman Abdullah was killed and Al Jazeera and AFP reporters were injured in the attack in Alma Shaab.
Reuters said Abdullah was killed by a rocket fired by Israel.
- Week of airstrikes
Israeli forces launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip one week ago in response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.
The conflict began last Saturday when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea and air.
Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.
That response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering more than 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the southern strip within 24 hours.