On October 16, local time, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that Israeli military tanks fired on its observation post located in Kafar Kila, near the southeastern border of Lebanon. This incident resulted in the destruction of two cameras and damage to the observation post itself.
UNIFIL characterized the attack as a “direct and deliberate” assault on its position by the Israeli military.
In response to the incident, The Times of Israel quoted a statement from the Israeli army declaring, “UNIFIL infrastructure and personnel are not targets.”
Recently, UNIFIL has faced multiple attacks from Israeli forces, leading to injuries among peacekeepers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on October 13 that Hezbollah has been using UNIFIL as “human shields.” He noted that the Israeli military has repeatedly called for UNIFIL to withdraw from the combat zone, but those requests have been consistently denied. On the same day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres affirmed that despite the attacks on UNIFIL in recent days, the forces would continue to hold their positions.