UNIFIL statement: Deliberate attacks on UNIFIL are severe violations of international humanitarian law and Resolution 1701

Two U.N. peacekeepers were injured Friday morning when two explosions occurred near a watchtower at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, marking the second such incident within 48 hours. 

One of the injured soldiers was transported to a hospital in Tyre, while the other received treatment at the Naqoura base.

In a statement, UNIFIL highlighted that several walls at U.N. post 1-31 near the Blue Line in Labbouneh collapsed after an Israeli bulldozer operated near the post, accompanied by Israeli tanks moving close to the U.N. site. Despite the incidents, U.N. peacekeepers remained at their positions, and a UNIFIL quick reaction force was dispatched to assist and reinforce the location.

UNIFIL expressed grave concern over the escalating risks its peacekeeping forces face, which are deployed in southern Lebanon under the mandate of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006). The statement emphasized the critical need to ensure the safety of U.N. personnel and the inviolability of U.N. property.

The mission called the situation a dangerous development, reiterating that deliberate attacks on peacekeepers constitute a severe violation of international humanitarian law and UNSC Resolution 1701.