IDF fire injures two peacekeepers in Lebanon

UNIFIL spokeswoman says the injured were Sri Lankans

BEIRUT:

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on Friday warned of "very serious risks" for their Blue Helmets after explosions wounded two mission members near the Israeli border, the second such incident in two days.

The Israeli military said its forces on Friday fired at a threat near a UN peacekeeping mission position.

Israel and Hezbollah have been clashing in south Lebanon since last week when Israel announced "targeted" incursions into Lebanon against the Lebanese group, which is backed by Iran.

Friday's incidents came after peacekeeping mission UNIFIL said its positions had been "repeatedly hit" and two Indonesian Blue Helmets were injured on Thursday, sparking a wave of international condemnation.

On Friday morning, "UNIFIL's Naqura 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," the peacekeeping mission said. A UNIFIL spokeswoman said they were Sri Lankan.

The Israeli military said "soldiers operating in southern Lebanon identified an immediate threat against them. The soldiers responded with fire toward the threat."

"An initial examination indicates that during the incident, a hit was identified on a UNIFIL post, located approximately 50 meters (yards) from the source of the threat, resulting in the injury of two UNIFIL personnel," it added.

UNIFIL said that, also on Friday, several blast 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."

"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," it said.

Earlier, Lebanon's foreign ministry said the Israeli army targeted "watchtowers and the main UNIFIL base in... Naqura, and on the Sri Lankan battalion's base, which led to a number of wounded".