UN: Two peacekeepers in Lebanon injured by Israeli tank fire

An Israeli tank fired on the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, resulting in two members of the force being injured, the UN said on Thursday.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that an Israeli army tank had directly hit a UN observation post in the small city of Naqoura.

These are the first casualties among the UNIFIL mission since Israel’s ground offensive against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon began last week.

UNIFIL said the peacekeepers were injured after an Israeli tank “directly” hit the watchtower, causing the two to fall.

“The injuries are fortunately, this time, not serious, but they remain in hospital,” the statement said.

UNIFIL said the main base in Naqoura and other nearby positions have been “repeatedly hit” during the fighting.

The Israeli army did not provide any immediate comment.

The UN mission has been monitoring the border area between Lebanon and Israel for decades. More than 10,000 UN soldiers from more than 50 countries are involved. Many of the UN troops come from Indonesia, Italy and India.

Naqoura is located on the Mediterranean coast and is the first urban centre of significant size in Lebanon near the demarcation line with Israel.