Israeli raid kills five in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL condemns shelling targeting its members.
Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special
Arab Sea_AFP: The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that at least four people were killed in Israeli raids that targeted various parts of southern Lebanon on Wednesday. The official National News Agency reported that a fifth person was killed and ten others were wounded, including three children, in a series of Israeli raids that targeted the town of Ansariyah in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army did not immediately comment on all of these raids, but said it killed Hezbollah member Abdel Moneim Musa Sweidan in a raid on the town of Yater. The Israeli army later added that it raided a Hezbollah site in the town of Ansariyah "that was used to store engineering vehicles intended to rebuild the organization and advance terrorist plans," noting that it also attacked "a Hezbollah missile platform in the Al-Jabin area." The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced on Wednesday that Israeli drones dropped four bombs near its members in an attack it described as "among the most dangerous" against its forces since the ceasefire in November, while the Israeli army said that the shooting was "not intentional." UNIFIL said that the Israeli army dropped "four bombs near UNIFIL peacekeepers who were working to remove roadblocks hindering access to a UN site" in southern Lebanon near the border with the Hebrew state on Tuesday morning. It added that "one of the bombs fell 20 meters away, while three fell about 100 meters away from UN personnel and vehicles." It stressed that "these are among the most serious attacks on UNIFIL personnel and assets since the cessation of hostilities agreement last November," which put an end to more than a year of confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah. For its part, the Israeli army confirmed in a statement that "the shooting was not intentionally directed at UNIFIL forces," adding that its forces in southern Lebanon spotted a "suspect" in the area on Tuesday and dropped sound bombs in order to disrupt and remove the threat without causing casualties. The attack was deliberate The UN force stated in its statement that the Israeli army was aware in advance of its plans to carry out road works "near the Blue Line," which serves as the border line with Israel, southeast of the village of Marwahin. UNIFIL affirmed that endangering the lives of peacekeepers constitutes a violation of Security Council Resolution 1701 issued in 2006, which formed the basis for the ceasefire last year. It continued that "any steps that endanger UN peacekeepers and their assets, and interfere with the tasks assigned to them, are unacceptable and constitute a serious violation of Resolution 1701 and international law." It is necessary to ensure the protection of UNIFIL France called for "ensuring the protection of peacekeepers and the safety of UN personnel, equipment and headquarters," in a statement from the Foreign Ministry commenting on the Israeli attack. For its part, Qatar condemned Israel's targeting of UNIFIL, considering it "a serious violation of the rules of international humanitarian law," and affirming its "full solidarity with the sisterly Lebanese Republic in the measures it takes to preserve its security and stability."
