LAST UPDATE | 11 Oct
TWO UN PEACEKEEPERS HAVE been injured in the second day of alleged Israeli firing on UNIFIL positions at their headquarters in Naqoura – the second such incident in the last 24 hours.
The Journal has learned that the injured soldiers are not Irish and are from one of the 50 countries that have provided soldiers to the 10,000 strong contingent of personnel serving in the mission.
Reports from South Lebanon have said two people have been injured at least one of them seriously injured – they are understood to be Sri Lankan.
Sources also said that there was firing near the Polish manned outpost UNP 6-50 which is inside the Irish area of operations. The Polish troops are in a battalion are work in conjunction with Irish soldiers.
6-50 is further west from the Irish outpost of UNP 6-52 where 30 Irish soldiers are located.
Yesterday two Indonesian peacekeeping soldiers were injured when their watch town was fired on at Naqoura. It is believed an Israeli Merkava tank was responsible.
There was also fire on two other UN locations yesterday but no one was injured.
There has been extensive fighting by Israel Defence Forces soldiers and Hezbollah in the area of Naqoura.
In a short statement this morning the Irish Defence Forces said: “Situation Update on Irish Defence Forces serving with overseas missions in Lebanon for family members.
“Following the most recent reports coming from Lebanon, the Defence Forces can confirm all Irish personnel are safe and accounted for. All necessary force protection measures continue to be observed.”
This afternoon, Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin said that this development “marks a very serious intensification of IDF hostility towards UN forces and UN posts”.
“It is absolutely unacceptable,” he continued. “What happened over the past 48 hours prior to this was reckless and intimidatory.”
Martin said that the development was “extraordinary” and “shocking”, and that there is a collective need to put pressure on Israel to stop any further attacks on peacekeepers or UNIFIL outposts.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations condemned today’s latest attack.
“I condemn the fact that there was a shooting against a UN premise, wounding two peacekeepers, which is a violation of international humanitarian law,” the UN secretary general told reporters at a summit in Laos.
A UNIFIL spokesman said in a statement that there were several “explosions” at the Naqoura headquarters.
“This morning, UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters was affected by explosions for the second time in the last 48 hours. Two peacekeepers were injured after two explosions occurred close to an observation tower. One injured peacekeeper was taken to a hospital in Tyre, while the second is being treated in Naqoura.
“Today, several T-walls at our UN position 1-31, near the Blue Line in Labbouneh, fell when an IDF caterpillar hit the perimeter and IDF tanks moved in the proximity of the UN position. Our peacekeepers remained at the location, and a UNIFIL Quick Reaction Force was dispatched to assist and reinforce the position.
“These incidents put again UN peacekeepers, who are serving in south Lebanon at the request of the Security Council under resolution 1701 (2006), at very serious risks.
“This is a serious development, and UNFIL reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times. Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council resolution 1701 (2006),” the statement read.
In another incident yesterday, IDF soldiers are said to have “deliberately fired at and disabled” the UN position’s perimeter-monitoring cameras.
“Indonesia strongly condemns the attack,” said Indonesia’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi. “Attacking UN personnel and property is a major violation of International Humanitarian Law.”
She called on all parties to ensure respect for UN territory at all times and under all circumstances.
Indonesia has around 1,232 personnel currently deployed with the UN mission in Lebanon.
“The hostile acts committed and repeated by Israeli forces against the base … could constitute war crimes,” Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said yesterday.
The Spanish Government, which has troops in UNIFIL, also condemned the incident. Condemnation also came from across the globe including from China.
The seaside area of Naqoura is on the western flank of the UNIFIL area of operations in South Lebanon.
This location is where the large UNIFIL headquarters is located which includes offices for command and meeting rooms. Other facilities include a hospital facility and accommodation for a large amount of troops.
There is a town next to the camp and this has apparently been the focus of Israeli activity in recent days.
There is a small team of Irish soldiers based at Naqoura who work in the headquarters staff. They are in management positions and administrative roles.
The other Irish camps are some distance from the Naqoura Headquarters and are about 40 minutes by road inland or roughly about 30 kilometres.
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