Cairo [Egypt], November 17: United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon said on Sunday that Israeli forces had fired at them without causing casualties, in the latest such attack reported by the UN blue helmets. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement that Israeli forces fired on its personnel earlier on Sunday from a tank near a position set up by Israel in the Lebanese territory.
"Heavy machine gun rounds hit approximately five meters from the peacekeepers, who were on foot and had to take shelter in the terrain," the online statement said. The peacekeepers liaised with the Israeli military and were able to leave safely 30 minutes later, after the tank retreated behind the Israeli position, UNIFIL added. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots in southern Lebanon after identifying suspects there.
After a review, the suspects were found to be UN soldiers who were initially classified as suspects due to poor weather, the army added. A fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia has been in place since late November last year after months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. However, both sides regularly accuse each other of violations, with Israel attacking its neighbour on an almost daily basis.
Source: Qatar Tribune
