The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a press release on Sunday, November 16, that some of its troops were targeted by Israeli artillery shelling earlier that day inside the Lebanese territories.

The peacekeeping mission clarified that its personnel escaped the offensive unharmed, after asking the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to stop the assault through liaison channels.

The UNIFIL considered the incident, which marks the third Israeli attack on its troops in the last three months, a serious violation of the Security Council resolution 1701, which was adopted in 2006 to resolve the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

For its part, the IOF claimed that it misidentified the targeted peacekeepers due to poor visibility caused by weather conditions, after spotting two suspects in southern Lebanon, which entailed firing “warning shots” to disperse them.

However, the repeated assaults by the IOF against the mission for over a year exposes Israel’s systematic targeting of United Nations personnel, not only in Lebanon but also in other parts of the region, particularly Gaza.

Read More: Lebanese president clings to “negotiation path” as Israel launches attacks across Lebanon

Lebanon to file complaint against Israel for building a wall on the southern Lebanese border

Besides its daily airstrikes across Lebanon, and the recurrent attacks on UNIFIL troops, Israel has also committed another violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty by building a concrete wall that crosses the UN-demarcated Blue Line.

In response to the blatant violation, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, issued directives to the concerned government officials to file an urgent complaint against Israel with the UN Security Council.

A UNIFIL report that refutes Israel’s denial of building the wall, and confirms that the wall has made 4,000 square meters of Lebanese land inaccessible to the residents in the affected area, will be enclosed in the complaint.

“Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The UNIFIL asserted in the report.

It further reiterated its call on the IOF “to respect the Blue Line in its full length and withdraw from all areas north of it.”

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