White House 'deeply concerned' by Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The White House said Thursday it is "deeply concerned' by Israel's repeated attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon after two members of the international force were injured by Israeli tank fire.

A National Security Council spokesperson told Anadolu on condition of anonymity that the White House "reached out immediately to our Israeli counterparts about it and pressed them for more details."

"We understand Israel is conducting targeted operations near the Blue Line to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure that could be used to threaten Israeli citizens. While they undertake these operations, it is critical that they not threaten UN peacekeepers’ safety and security," said the spokesperson.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said earlier Thursday that its headquarters in the southern Lebanese city of Naqoura and two nearby sites have been struck by Israeli forces.

On Thursday morning, an Israeli Merkava tank fired on an observation tower, striking it directly and causing two peacekeepers to fall, hospitalizing them with minor injuries, UNIFIL said in a lengthy statement.

Israeli forces also fired on another UNIFIL position in Labbouneh, striking the entrance to a bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communications system. A drone was observed flying inside the UN position, and up to the bunker's entrance, according to the force.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces "deliberately" opened fire on cameras monitoring the facility's perimeter, disabling them, the force said. Another UNIFIL position in Ras Naqoura was also "deliberately" fired upon Wednesday.

"We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times," said UNIFIL. "Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Security Council resolution 1701."

Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing at least 1,323 people, injuring over 3,700 others, and displacing more than 1.2 million.

The aerial campaign is an escalation in a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Tel Aviv’s brutal offensive against the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 42,000 people, mostly women and children, following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack.

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 a ground invasion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.