Just two weeks after Israeli troops fired on an injured a UNIFIL peacekeeper in southern Lebanon, yet another incident is being reported, with an Israeli tank firing multiple shells at a group of UNIFIL peacekeepers from Spain in the area around Khiam.
Three shots were fired in the incident, which took place on Monday. The shells landed within 150 meters of the peacekeepers, and the UN is warning that incidents of attacks on UNIFIL personnel are becoming “increasingly common,” while reiterating that they amount to a “serious violation” of UN Security Council resolution 1701.
Though no UNIFIL peacekeepers were wounded in this case, the incident was particularly concerning because it involved two Israeli Merkava tanks both crossing into Lebanon and advancing deeper into Lebanese territory to go after the UNIFIL. Even when the peacekeepers were fleeing the initial firing, they report that the tanks were using a laser sighting to track them.
UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles ride along a street in Marjaayoun, Southern Lebanon January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Spain is understandingly unhappy with their troops being fired on in the course of a peacekeeping mission, calling the attack “unacceptable” and also a “serious escalation.” They urged Israel to stop targeting UNIFIL and respect international law.
That’s a big ask, as Israel has targeted the UNIFIL repeatedly for years, and increasingly often in recent months. Israeli officials have said they view UNIFIL as a ‘barrier’ to their military escalation in Lebanon, which of course in why UNIFIL was created in the first place.
The IDF dismissed the complaints, saying the tanks attacked “Hezbollah infrastructure” that just happened to be about 150 meters away from an active UNIFIL patrol, and that the Spanish forces were never in any danger.
Given the precedents of both Israel regular attacking the UNIFIL, and their tendency to retroactively justify everything they hit by claiming it was secretly Hezbollah, this explanation is almost certain to be insufficient.
