As the Israeli invasion of Lebanon escalates, it has been reported that on Sunday morning Israeli tanks smashed their way into a UN peacekeeper base in southern Lebanon near Ramia. Exactly why they decided to force their way into a UNIFIL base, which is of course a violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, is not at all clear.
Reports from the ground are that the two Merkava tanks forced their way in while the UNIFIL personnel were in shelters. They demanded that the base shut off all lights. They remained inside the compound for around 45 minutes, and left after the UN filed a protest through liaisons.
That wasn’t the end of it, either, as two hours after the Israeli tanks left, they fired an unidentified smoke munition just north of the UN position. The UNIFIL personnel were wearing gas masks, but 15 of them were still reported to have sustained skin irritation or gastrointestinal symptoms when the smoke reach their base. They are receiving medical treatment.
This is in addition to around five UN peacekeepers who have been reported injured over the last week since the Israeli invasion of the area. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that they are “doing everything in our power” to prevent UN injuries, but added this to demands that the UN immediately withdraw all their peacekeepers from the “danger zone.”
The UNIFIL was established in 1978, and was meant to tamp down violence in southern Lebanon. They peacekeepers’ mandate was changed several times to adjust to Israeli invasions of the area, and its mandate was substantially increased to try to restore Lebanese sovereignty to southern Lebanon after the 2006 Israeli invasion.
Lebanese PM Najib Mikati has issued a statement today condemning Israeli attacks on the UNIFIL forces, saying it represents a new chapter in Israel not complying with international norms.
