Israeli settlers attempt attack on army officer, UN troops injured in Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said in a statement on Friday that Israeli settlers attempted an attack on the Israeli Army's Central Command chief Avi Bluth and accompanying officers in the city of Hebron, in southern West Bank.

The IDF said the incident occurred during a mass Jewish religious event held annually in the city, noting that "the group chased the commander, shouted derogatory remarks, and blocked the exit road on his way to operational activity".

Israeli state-owned Kan TV News reported that dozens of rioters shouted "traitor" and "Israel hater" at Bluth. It is reported that Israeli police arrested five of them, and the group was dispersed within a short time.

"The IDF strongly condemns all violence of any kind against IDF personnel and views such incidents with utmost severity," it added. Israeli settlers occasionally attack Israeli security forces in the West Bank to express dissatisfaction with actions or policies perceived as favouring Palestinians, such as evacuating illegal Jewish outposts or arresting and expelling rioters from the region.

Separately, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz announced earlier on Friday the cessation of the issuance of administrative detention warrants against Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

"In a reality where the Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) are subject to serious Palestinian terror threats and unjustified international sanctions, it is inappropriate for Israel to take such a severe step against them," the minister stated.

Meanwhile, four Italian peacekeepers were injured after two rockets struck the West Sector Headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, according to a statement by UNIFIL.

The four peacekeepers are currently receiving treatment at the base hospital, and none of the injuries are life-threatening, the statement said on Friday.

"The rockets, likely launched by Hezbollah or affiliated groups, impacted a bunker and a logistics area used by the international military police, causing significant damage to nearby infrastructure," said the statement, noting that one of the affected structures caught fire, "but the blaze was swiftly extinguished by base personnel."

This marked the third attack on the UNIFIL base in the village of Chamaa within just one week, according to UNIFIL, Xinhua news agency reported. In the statement, UNIFIL reiterated its call for relevant parties to avoid fighting next to its positions, stressing, "The inviolability of UN premises and personnel must be respected at all times."

"Any attack against peacekeepers constitutes a serious violation of international law and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701," it added. UNIFIL sites and installations have previously been attacked, leading to injuries, amid the ongoing conflict between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Earlier this week, four Ghanaian peacekeepers on duty sustained injuries as a rocket hit their base in the east of the southern Lebanese village of Ramyah.