Israel Again Breaks the Rules, IDF Tanks Hit UN Forces in Southern Lebanon

JAKARTA - The United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon has again been subjected to intimidation in southern Lebanon.

UNIFil said the Israeli tank hit the UN peacekeeper's vehicle on Sunday in southern Lebanon, where Israel and the Hezbollah militia are engaged in a tit-for-tat offensive.

"On two occasions today, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) rammed a UNIFIL vehicle with a Merkava tank, in one case causing significant damage," the statement said, adding that the Israeli army had blocked the road in Bayada, southern Lebanon, "which is used to access UNIFIL positions," reported Al Arabiya from AFP (13/4).

"Over the past week, the Israeli army has fired 'warning shots' in the area, hitting and damaging clearly identifiable UNIFIL vehicles. In one case, a 'warning shot' landed one meter from a peacekeeper who had got out of his vehicle," the statement continued.

"The Israeli army has continuously blocked the movement of peacekeepers on this road in recent days, in addition to the denial of freedom of movement recorded in other areas," UNIFIL said.

UNIFIL patrols southern Lebanon near the Israeli border where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since last month after the Iranian-backed militant group dragged Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket attacks on Israel to support its ally, Iran.

Three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in southern Lebanon last month, with a preliminary UN investigation finding one killed by Israeli tank fire, while the other two were killed by improvised explosive devices likely planted by Hezbollah.

Other UNIFIL peacekeepers have also been wounded since the war erupted.

This month, "Israeli soldiers also destroyed a security surveillance camera" at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqura "and five other positions," the statement said.

Earlier, Israeli soldiers on Saturday "sprayed the windows of the pedestrian access gate of the headquarters, thus blocking the view of the outer perimeter," he added.

UNIFIL said the action was not in line with "the requirements to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers" and their freedom of movement.

UN peacekeepers have served as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel for decades, but their mandate expires at the end of this year.