By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - Eight Austrian nationals belonging to a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon were injured in an Israeli rocket attack, Austria’s foreign minister said Tuesday.
Alexander Schallenberg said on X that he is "outraged" by today's attack on the United Nations 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.
The Spanish government said it "strongly condemned" Tuesday's attack on UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, demanding the parties to respect the UNIFIL troops.
"Their safety must be guaranteed. Attacks on peacekeeping operations are a very serious violation of international law and, in the case of UNIFIL, of Security Council Resolution 1701," it said in a statement.
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 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.