The United Nations stated that Israeli tanks entered a UN peacekeeping base on Sunday, October 13th. However, the Israeli military claimed that they had no intention of causing a threat and that the tanks were trying to avoid heavy shelling and transport wounded soldiers, leading to the destruction of the base’s gate.
Israel has been expanding its strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon in recent days. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that on the morning of the 13th, two Israeli Merkava tanks rammed through the gate of the base in the border village of Ramyeh in southern Lebanon. They then forcefully entered the camp and repeatedly requested the base to turn off its lights.
UNIFIL protested, expressing concern that the presence of Israeli Defense Forces in the base could endanger peacekeeping personnel. Approximately 45 minutes later, the tanks left.
A statement mentioned that after the tanks left, several shells exploded about 100 meters north of the base, releasing smoke that caused skin irritation and nausea to 15 peacekeeping personnel.
“We have reminded the Israeli Defense Forces and everyone else for the fourth time of the obligation to ensure the safety of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises,” UNIFIL said in a statement.
UNIFIL stated that Israel’s actions “blatantly violate international law” and has demanded the IDF to explain these “shocking violations.”
However, the Israeli military provided a different perspective, stating that their entry into the UNIFIL base was to evacuate soldiers injured by anti-tank missiles.
The Israeli military mentioned that Hezbollah militants had launched anti-tank missiles at the IDF, resulting in 25 injuries, with the attack being very close to a UNIFIL outpost. It was reported that two soldiers were “seriously injured” while others had minor injuries.
The IDF stated, “In order to evacuate the wounded, two tanks reversed and eventually stopped a few meters away from the UNIFIL position. They were unable to move in any other way due to the threat of artillery fire.”
The statement added that smoke grenades were fired by the IDF during the incident to provide cover for the retreat of the wounded and emphasized that their activities did not pose a threat to UNIFIL.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that any attack on peacekeepers “could constitute a war crime,” stating that UN personnel and compounds must not be targeted.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated in a video message that UNIFIL should “immediately” move their forces away from danger and suggested that they would become Hezbollah’s “human shields” in the area.
“We regret the injuries to UNIFIL soldiers and we are doing everything possible to prevent harm. The simplest way to ensure this is to get them out of the danger zone,” Netanyahu said.
Previously, Israel had requested UNIFIL to retreat 5 kilometers (3 miles) to the north.
Over 10,000 peacekeeping personnel from 50 countries are stationed along the Lebanon-Israel border, tasked with overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement reached after the 2006 war.
The Israeli military also reported that Hezbollah sent drones to attack an army base in central Israel on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of 4 soldiers and 58 injuries, with 8 soldiers in critical condition. This was one of the most severe attacks launched by Hezbollah since Israel’s ground offensive against them in Lebanon.
Israel possesses advanced air defense systems, making it rare for drones or missiles to cause such a high number of injuries to the IDF. Over the past year since the Gaza war broke out, Hezbollah and Israel have been engaging in almost daily clashes, with recent battles escalating between the two parties.
On the same day as the most severe attack in Israel in over a year since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the United States announced that it would provide Israel with a new THAAD missile defense system to enhance its air defense capabilities and would also provide the necessary personnel to operate the system.
On Monday, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen criticized UNIFIL for failing to protect Israeli citizens from Hezbollah’s attacks and urged them to withdraw their forces during intensified fighting.
Cohen stated, “Israel will do everything possible to ensure the safety of its citizens. If the United Nations cannot provide assistance, at the very least, it should not interfere and should evacuate its personnel from the conflict zone.”