• Lebanon asks UN to seek immediate truce
• Israel targets head of Hezbollah’s security apparatus

BEIRUT: Israel claimed that its forces fired at a ‘threat’ near a UN peacekeeping position on Friday in Lebanon, acknowledging that a “hit” was responsible for wounding two Blue Helmets in an incident that has sparked a fierce diplomatic backlash.

The UN peacekeeping mission said two more of its members were wounded on Friday — a day after two Indonesian Blue Helmets were injured — leading the Israeli army to say it was “conducting a thorough review at the highest levels of command”.

The Israeli statement also said the peacekeepers had been “inadvertently hurt” during fighting.

As Israel faced a chorus of condemnation from United Nations chief Antonio Guterres and Western allies, its army pledged to carry out a “thorough review” while releasing its preliminary findings.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the firing as “intolerable” and “a violation of international humanitarian law,” while the British government said it was “appalled” by reports of the injuries.

US President Joe Biden said Friday he was “absolutely” asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers, while the French, Spanish and Italian leaders issued a joint statement expressing “outrage.”

French President Emmanuel Macron renewed his call for an end to exports of weapons used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, while saying the UN peacekeepers had been “deliberately targeted”.

Diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza have so far failed, but Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his government would ask the UN Security Council to issue a new resolution calling for a “full and immediate ceasefire”.

Lebanon’s health ministry said the Israeli strikes killed 22 people and injured more than 100.

The Israeli strikes apparently targeted Hezbollah’s security chief Wafiq Safa, a source close to Hezbollah said. Safa was close to Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike on south Beirut last month.

Israel’s military campaign has wrought devastation on Gaza, as Gaza’s civil defence agency reported 30 more people were killed in Israeli strikes on Jabalia, taking the toll to 42,126 people, mostly civilians.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2024