According to the UN peacekeeping mission, bursts of heavy artillery hit an area just five meters away. UNIFIL peacekeepers, who had to retreat hastily and take refuge in the field.
The mission representatives were able to contact the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) through their communications channels and ask them to stop the shooting, UNIFIL explain in a press release. The patrol was able to leave safely half an hour later, when the tank withdrew towards IDF positions.
“Fortunately, no one was injured,” the statement said, adding that the attack constituted a serious violation of the law. Security Council Resolution 1701which was adopted in 2006 in order to resolve the war between Israel and the Hezbollah militia.
In response to questions from local media, IDF officials reportedly claimed that the attack was the result of “misidentification” by UNIFIL troops due to weather conditions, and that it did not intend to fire on the peacekeepers.
This is the third such incident in the past three months. On September 2, IDF drones dropped four grenades near UNIFIL peacekeepers who were working to clear roadblocks blocking access to a UN position near the “Blue Line,” the buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon patrolled by UNIFIL.
On October 26, UNIFIL reported that an Israeli drone dropped a grenade near a UN patrol, followed by tank fire aimed at the peacekeepers.
A mission that is coming to an end
This incident comes at a delicate time for UNIFIL, which is expected to close its doors at the end of 2027, after nearly half a century of presence along the Blue Line. Established in 1978 by the Security Council to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, the mission – which currently has 10,500 peacekeepers – has become a central part of the region’s relative stability.
Its mandate was strengthened after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, and then again after deadly fighting between the two camps last fall, which devastated several towns in southern Lebanon. Since the cessation of hostilities in November 2024, UNIFIL has supported the redeployment of the Lebanese National Army to territories where the state is struggling to reassert its authority, while Israel maintains military positions in certain areas.
“Once again, we call on the IDF to cease any aggressive behavior and any attacks against or near peacekeepers,” insisted UNIFIL, recalling that its troops “are working to restore the stability that Israel and Lebanon say they seek.”
