4 Ghanaian UN peacekeepers injured in rocket attack in Lebanon
Four Ghanaian UN peacekeepers have been injured after a rocket struck their base in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border.
The incident occurred in the village of Ramyah, with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) blaming “non-state actors within Lebanon” for the attack.
This incident was one of three separate attacks on UN personnel and bases on Tuesday.
Another base in Shama was damaged by rocket fire, while a UNIFIL patrol came under fire northeast of the village of Khirbat Silim, though no injuries were reported.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) accused Hezbollah of launching the rocket attacks, but the Lebanese armed group has not commented.
In a statement on social media, UNIFIL condemned the attacks on its people and infrastructure.
“The pattern of regular attacks – direct or indirect – against peacekeepers must end immediately,” the statement said.
“Any attack against the peacekeepers is a flagrant violation of international laws and resolution 1701, which forms the basis of Unifil’s current mandate.”
Tensions between Israel and the UN have escalated in recent months, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for UN forces to pull out of “combat areas.”
The conflict has resulted in significant humanitarian costs, with over 3,840 people killed and 15,000 wounded in Israeli attacks in Lebanon over the past year.
On Tuesday, the Lebanese army said three of its soldiers had been killed in an Israeli strike on an army centre in the town of Safarand. Seventeen others, including nearby civilians, were wounded in the strike, the health ministry said.
Israeli attacks have displaced more than one million people, putting more pressure on a country that was already struggling to cope after years of severe economic crisis.
Hezbollah’s attacks have killed at least 31 soldiers and 45 civilians in Israel, Israeli authorities say.
Another 45 Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military has destroyed large parts of Hezbollah’s infrastructure and killed many of its leaders, but the group continues to carry out daily attacks, although not with the same intensity.
Efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified, with Lebanon’s government due to respond to a draft deal presented by the US.