The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has revealed in a statement dated April 5 that approximately 165 rocket launches by Hezbollah landed inside or near positions of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon.
According to the IDF, attacks aimed at the UNIFIL posts were a violation of international laws and endangered personnel in the United Nations.
“165 of Hezbollah’s rocket launches have landed inside or adjacent to UNIFIL posts in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah systematically violates international law while endangering international forces and harming UN personnel,” the statement read.
The defense forces have also stated that they will continue to coordinate with the UNIFIL forces to monitor the area and deter attacks, maintaining security.
Despite the statement of the IDF being of peace, some of the public have termed it as propaganda, while others have supported the defense force in their aim to maintain peace.
According to Mohammad Umair, the Israeli forces are behind most of the attacks on the UNIFIL, a contradiction to the statement that the Hezbollah was involved.
He added that Israel has been involved in most of the bombing attacks in Southern Lebanon, killing civilians and UN peacekeepers.
In addition, Mohammed cited that the recent blast that killed Indonesian UN troops is alleged to be an attack by Israel.
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Hezbollah’s Attacks on UNIFIL According to IDF Reports
On April 3, three United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeepers were wounded in a blast at one of its positions near the Israeli border.
Reports by the peacekeeping force indicated that two of the peacekeepers were seriously injured during the attack.
According to the Israeli military, the explosion at the base near Odaisseh was caused by a Hezbollah-fired rocket and marked the third attack incident on the UNIFIL troops.
“An examination of the launch trajectory clearly indicates that the Hezbollah terror organization carried out the firing,” the IDF stated.
However, the UNIFIL also made an official statement on the attacks, but mentioned that its troops were wounded, and the origin of the explosion remained unknown to the UNIFIL.
Earlier attacks on UNIFIL
According to Italy, the second largest contributor to UNIFIL, a rocket attack was launched and hit the UNIFIL base in southern Lebanon, causing minor property damage and no casualties on April 2.
Earlier on, two UNIFIL troops of Indonesian origin were killed in an explosion in southern Lebanon, which Israel blamed on roadside bombs placed by Hezbollah.
In the early morning of late March, an Indonesian soldier was also killed when a projectile exploded near one of the UNIFIL positions.
According to a UN security source, the peacekeeper was killed by Israeli fire.
Additionally, in early March, Israeli tank fire wounded three Ghanaian peacekeepers with UNIFIL, and the Israeli forces issued a statement expressing regret over the incident.
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About UNIFIL
The United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters. As of March, UNIFIL had 7,505 peacekeepers from 47 nations.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, among other provisions during the establishment of the UNIFIL, restricted the use of firearms in Southern Lebanon.
However, the Security Council granted permission for the use of armed forces by UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese military.
UNIFIL will cease operations at the end of 2026 and withdraw in 2027 as directed by the Security Council.
Israel has long argued that the observer force has failed in its mission, doing little to block Hezbollah from building up its forces near the Israeli border over the decades.
