UN peacekeeping HQ hit by rocket in Lebanon, peacekeepers injured

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has said in a statement that peacekeepers were injured as a rocket hit the agency's headquarters in Naqoura, southwest of Lebanon. "A rocket hit the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura this afternoon, causing a fire in a vehicle repair shop," the statement said on Tuesday.

"The peacekeepers were not in shelters at the time of the incident, and while some of the soldiers sustained minor injuries, fortunately, no one was seriously injured," it added.

"The rocket was fired from north of the UNIFIL headquarters, most likely by Hezbollah or a group affiliated with it, and we have opened an investigation into the incident," the statement noted. "We remind Hezbollah and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and that any deliberate attack on them is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and Resolution 1701."

In recent days, five UNIFIL personnel were injured during battles between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and UNIFIL accused the Israeli military of "repeatedly" firing at its positions, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hezbollah has been engaged in more intense fighting with Israel since the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas. In early October, Israel launched a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon.

Lebanon's ministry of foreign affairs has filed a complaint to the UN Security Council through its UN mission, condemning Israeli attacks on Lebanon's health sector between 8 October 2023 and 24 October 2024.

According to the ministry, a total of 281 attacks targeted hospitals, primary care centers, and ambulances, resulting in 163 deaths among health and relief workers and injuring hundreds more.

The complaint highlighted severe impacts on Lebanon's healthcare system, including the displacement of medical personnel, shortages of medicine and essential supplies, and declining patient care, particularly for mothers and newborns, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement also underscored a growing need for mental health services, especially for children affected by the conflict. Lebanon urged the international community to support its health infrastructure and called on the Security Council to hold Israel accountable for actions that Lebanon claims constitute war crimes, urging steps to protect health institutions and workers under international humanitarian law.

Meanwhile, Israeli infantry forces, backed by several Merkava tanks, advanced about 3 km into southern Lebanon on Tuesday, according to eyewitnesses and Lebanese military sources.

The military sources, speaking anonymously, told Xinhua news agency that Israeli forces, including dozens of soldiers, tanks, and one bulldozer, crossed the Blue Line (a demarcation line dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights) on Tuesday at dawn, reaching the eastern edge of Khiam, a key Hezbollah stronghold on the eastern side of the border area in southern Lebanon. They added that the previous airstrikes and artillery shelling targeting the villages of al-Mari, Rachaya al-Foukhar, Halta, Kfarchouba, al-Wazzani, and the Khiam had "paved the way for the incursion."

In multiple statements, the Lebanon-based militant outfit Hezbollah reported that its military wing "accurately hit their targets" with a squadron of drones, including a gathering of Israeli vehicles in the Manara settlement and a gathering of Israeli soldiers in Kfar Giladi, a Kibbutz in Israel, and Zar'it, a Moshav in Israel.

Since 23 September, Israel has intensified air attacks on Lebanon, mostly targeting Hezbollah, and has lately launched a ground operation across its northern border.