The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that four Ghanaian peacekeepers were wounded on Tuesday when a rocket that was most likely fired by “non-state actors” hit their base in southern Lebanon.
Israel’s military said Hezbollah had twice fired rockets on Tuesday that damaged UNIFIL posts. Peacekeepers and facilities were targeted in three separate incidents on Tuesday, UNIFIL added. One rocket was fired at 0750 GMT, hitting a UNIFIL post in the Ramyeh area in southern Lebanon, it said.
A few hours later, Hezbollah fired a number of rockets from Maaliyeh that hit and damaged a UNIFIL post in the area of Chamaa in southern Lebanon.
Despite the risks the United Nations intends to bolster its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, to better support the Lebanese army once a truce is agreed but would not directly enforce a ceasefire, U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said last week.
“I think that has to be very clear. Implementing the 1701 is the responsibility of the parties,” said Lacroix. “UNIFIL has a supportive role, and there is a lot of substance in that supporting role.”
UNIFIL is deployed in southern Lebanon to monitor the demarcation line with Israel, an area that has seen more than a year of hostilities between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.
Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting have centred on U.N. resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between the two heavily armed foes in 2006 and requires Hezbollah to remove fighters and weapons from areas between the border and the Litani River, which runs about 30 km from Lebanon’s southern border.
Israel has for years accused UNIFIL of failing to implement the resolution, and now says peacekeepers must get out of the way as Israeli troops fight Hezbollah. UNIFIL troops have refused to leave their posts, despite repeated Israeli attacks that have wounded peacekeepers.
Following a truce, UNIFIL’s capacities could be expanded to include clearing explosive devices and reopening roads.
Team Bharatshakti
(With inputs from Reuters)
